Lovelorn singer-songwriter delights at Jake’s

A band of six Scandinavian-looking women and two Scandinavian men all dressed in white linen embroidered with pansies, goldfish and birds is not what people expect to see on Tuesday night at Jake’s Nightclub.\nBut Jens Lekman led his band of Swedes for the opening show of their U.S. tour. Called “The Britney Spears of Sweden” by opener Totally Michael, Lekman played to a mixed crowd of Secretly Canadian employees, super fans and friends of fans brought along for the ride. \nLekman opened the concert with his very first studio song, “Black Cab,” an upbeat, but not-quite-danceable orchestral pop song that launched his reputation as a hybrid of Morrissey and Belle and Sebastian, with tongue-in-cheek, Costello-clever lyrics.\n“I definitely think he was brave to play his first (studio) song,” said Nina Cole, a graduate student, talking about the single that was not released until Lekman’s second album of B-sides, “Oh You’re So Silent Jens.”\nAfter a few more songs, most fans were still taking their coats off and ordering drinks. Lekman then gave a candid confession that betrayed his laid-back look and the comfortable grins he and the band kept exchanging.\n“I’m nervous because I think I know at least half you people,” he said, quickly adding that he loved that.\nLekman next played his new single, “The Opposite of Hallelujah,” with a completely original twist. The song, which he dedicated to his sister, is an oxymoron, with an upbeat tempo paired with defeatist lyrics. On the album, the song transitions from Lekman and his band to a sample of “Give Me just a Little More Time” by Chairmen of the Board. Ironically, on Tuesday night the song missed a beat and came in late. \nThough the crowd couldn’t tell at first, Lekman called the band to a halt and asked sheepishly for another chance.\n“Can we do it from the break where the strings come in? I love that break,” he said.\nOn their second try, they nailed it, and the overall mood lifted dramatically. The concert turned into what can be described as an indie sock-hop after that.\n“I loved that they (messed) up,” said John Moulder, a Bloomington resident. “They said they were nervous. It made me feel like we’re friends.”\nThe most different number for this show was definitely “A Postcard To Nina.” Tuesday’s rendition of the song, which was interspersed with storytelling, could have rivaled Arlo Guthrie’s 18-minute “Alice’s Restaurant.”\nLekman told the story of Nina, the reason he went to Berlin. He said he ended up lying to her German parents about a fake engagement.\n“Have you ever seen that scene in ‘Buffalo ‘66’ where they’re eating with the parents?” Lekman asked the crowd. “Well, this was more awkward than that.”\nAtlanta residents Chrissy Powell and her boyfriend Daniel Kirk have followed Lekman on his past tours to New York, Chicago and Atlanta, but they said what they saw last night was completely new.\n“We’re band-aids, but I’ve never heard (him tell) that story before,” Kirk said.