The Rocky Dennis EP is the second EP in as many months to be released by wunderkind songwriter Jens Lekman on Secretly Canadian. It, like his Mapleleaves EP and an upcoming third EP, is a love letter to the world by a young man who is simply awash in a sea of hope. We consider these three budget-priced EP's an introduction of the simplest sort to the world of a musician who is bound to become a good friend to each and all music fans of the discriminating sort. Composed of four songs, the Rocky Dennis EP is a sweet goodbye to past lives and failed transformations. It is a sad yet ultimately hopeful song cycle. "Rocky Dennis Farewell Song to the Blind Girl" is pure orchestral pop bliss. On it, Lekman combines late-60's soft pop, sampled beats and the sweetest melancholic voice this side of Morrissey. The EP's second half is composed of two piano-based tunes, with Lekman at the keys, with the bright light beating the sweat out of his brow.

At only 21, Lekman has deservedly been the center of much hype in Scandinavia as of late. Having made a name for himself performing under the name Rocky Dennis, he recently hit #16 on the Swedish national record sales charts with this very EP. Most everyone who's heard him believes him to be the next great pop star emerging from the streets of the DIY underground. With an angelic voice and golden ears he seems to be drinking from the same hard waters as Harry Nilsson, the Magnetic Fields, Runt-era Todd Rundgren, Bill Callahan's Smog, the Modern Lovers, Rufus Wainwright, and Belle & Sebastian. He's currently working on his debut full-length, slated for release in mid-2004 on Secretly Canadian. He's already got over 100 songs in the can, but this feverish perfectionist won't stop until his ears are satisfied.

(SC101 released: 04/06/04)