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Lykke Li "No Rest For The Wicked" official video
Lykke Li "No Rest For The Wicked" official video

Lykke Li Releases "No Rest For The Wicked" Video + Official Klangkarussel Remix

Lykke Li "No Rest For The Wicked" official videoLykke Li "No Rest For The Wicked" official video

Lykke Li's aesthetic has always been informed by storytelling, her first album Youth Novels introduced us to her musings and her second album Wounded Rhymes built on passionate sounds, emphasizing her attraction to darkness. Her third album I Never Learn is out May 6th and so far the content is impressive. Lykke Li is a true craftswoman; and as she spills her deepest desires on to a canvas we can't help but melt in with them. The serenading songstress' latest release is the dramatic video for her second single "No Rest For The Wicked" full of regret and shame, told through the story of star-crossed lovers. Lykke Li teamed up with director Tarik Saleh (who also directed Li's videos "Sadness Is A Blessing and "I Follow Rivers") to bring the story to life. The singer made her acting debut in the Saleh directed thriller Tommy and was also on the movies' soundtrack. The video is not one of those ten minute long music films that have been trendy with pops big acts, but rather a four minute glimpse into a scene of Lykke Li's personal trilogy (Youth Novels, Wounded Rhymes, I Never Learn).

"'No Rest For The Wicked' is the second song I wrote for 'I Never Learn'. I wrote it in Sweden when I was packing up my shit, and I'd just gotten out of a relationship and it was a horrible time. I just had the hurt, shame, sadness, guilt, longing. The vocal track, the take, is the demo. In the verse, I'm referring to myself pleading guilty but I'm referring to all of us."<

Remixing a beautiful raw ballad like "No Rest For The Wicked" is a balancing act between keeping the track delicate and authentic while rethinking it within a specific genre. That being said, Austrian production duo Klangkarussel successfully made an official remix that lifts the track up in feel but still keeps the sounds of sorrow. Lykke Li's sweeping vocals are present and complimented by crashing cymbals, tight drums and light synth melodies,  creating the sick breakdowns heard this washed-out jam. Listen to the official remix of "No Rest For The Wicked" and watch the video below.