Pitchfork

There's rock'n'roll, and there's rockin' on a porch. Then there's Jens Lekman's new 7", "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo", which brings the sock hop to the Swedish countryside to play, um, bingo. Drive-in style. Beyond such impeccably Lekman-esque bingo rhymes as "Ringo" and "limbo", the witty Swedish songster isn't nuts when he compares the song to a cover band playing Dire Straits' "Walk of Life" in someone's back yard; both ditties borrow heavily from early rock'n'roll. "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo" brings a familiar chord progression, clickety-clack percussion, saxophone, and even accordion to a lighthearted tune about leaving city life behind.

The peppy arrangement isn't far off from the soulful bubblegum of fellow Swedish popsters Irene or, for that matter, Lekman's last full-length, 2005's Oh, You're So Silent Jens. And like the Isley Brothers' deathless classic "Shout!", this tune picks up speed toward the end, as Lekman imagines faking death for the insurance money, watching bunnies copulate, and, y'know, apple cider. "Just bring your savings and a bottle of wine," the crooner suggests. Bingo? What the hey, those small-town blue-hairs might even let me cheat. The song is streaming at Swedish label Service's website, but you have to skip ahead to track 3. Thanks to Fredrik Eriksson for the tip.

Stream:> Jens Lekman: "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo" (it's track 3)
[from the "Friday Night at the Drive-In Bingo" 7"; due 07/13/07 on Service]