The latest Swedish indie-pop act to attempt a stateside crossover comes in the form of a pint-sized 22-year-old named Lykke Li (pronounced Lick-ee Lee). Admittedly, its easy to be cynical about every cute new female singer-songwriter flooding the genre. But Lis Youth Novels is an exceptional debut album full of introspectiveand totally sexuallyrics set to a complementary background of sparse instrumentation and gentle beats. In songs like her breakthrough hit Little Bit, Li laments her vulnerability in a hapless relationship: For you I keep my legs apart/And forget about my tainted heart/And I will never ever be the first to say its still a game over. Li can hush a crowded room with her soft-spoken confessions. And just when the girl gets borderline drippy, she demonstrates her mean kazoo-playing skills. Englands electronic rock band Friendly Fires opens. Neumos, 925 E. Pike St., 709-9467, www.neumos.com. 21 and over. $15. 8 p.m. ERIKA HOBART
Wed., Oct. 29, 8 p.m., 2008