On the tenth, eleventh, and twelfth days of December, BeatCrave gives to you: five quality acts at five hopeful venues charging five reasonable prices, five genre interpretations – five chances to rock out – and a smile at the end of your day. Check out our picks below:

• Jens Lekman | Friday, December 10 | 8:00 pm | $17-$20 | The Green Union Building, Brooklyn, NY – Map | Lekman’s brand of pop song is quite the addition to a genre of pop that takes itself seriously in not taking itself seriously, but still manages to take itself seriously. Hmm. The Swedish singer-songwriter and musician’s discography is pretty hefty in comparison to the most mainstream of acts, a move that makes us appreciate the indie angle he’s decided to work . That and his purported affinity with romantic strings and ballad-esque songs to rope us in actually does so, rather successfully. For more information, call (718) 522-3363.

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It’s pretty hard to go on stage when just one of your members is deathly ill, let alone the lead vocalist. With tours around the world and the quick-spreading H1N1 virus – also known as Swine Flu – musicians are contracting the virus left and right.

Just like Jens Lekman was quarantined after a tour, Kasabian’s vocalist, Tom Meighan, was diagnosed with Swine Flu during the band’s stay in Sidney, Australia. Meighan was rushed to the hospital after his symptoms flared up. He was required to stay in his hotel room for several days and soon enough the rest of the band got dangerously ill as well.

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Our favorite man with a ukulele tells us he has been quarantined for contracting the H1N1 virus. In other words, Jens Lekman has the Swine Flu! It’s not a great souvenir from his trip to South America, but we’re hoping he gets through it all right.

After telling an Air France stewardess, “I’m not feeling well, I should see a doctor,” and fainting in the bathroom, Lekman has stayed positive. He reports, “I can see the summer through my window and it’s just perfect. Summer is always best through a window.” See how’s he really doing in his blog post below!

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You’d be surprised at what this man with a harmonica and a ukulele has in common with a mash-up DJ like Girl Talk. Swedish indie pop singer, Jens Lekman, is known for writing melancholic songs on top of heavy uses of samples. However, his music sounds nothing like mash-up.

His lyrics are sometimes misinterpreted because when he tries to be funny, most think he’s serious and when he’s being serious, most get a laugh out of it. That’s just part of his charm when he sings lyrics such as “Last night I ran into my old life/still waiting for someone at the station/someone who never made it into my new life.” Most can’t help but find him endearing in his peculiar songwriting or when he pours out his personal secrets online; he is loved all the same. Lekman is one of a kind when it comes to being an open person and coalescing his favorite riffs, strings, and guitar chords.

Just take a listen for yourself below and then vote for him as your BeatCrave Fav in Friday’s poll!

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