Peter Bjorn and John
Writer's Block
Wichita, 2006
It seems that Sweden is becoming the new Glasgow in terms of cranking out endearing indie pop - just within the last two years we have seen some extremely fun and promising records from the likes of Jens Lekman, I'm From Barcelona (it's a lie - they're Swedish), and El Perro Del Mar. To this prominent list of bands that are expanding their homeland's musical legacy beyond ABBA, Ace of Base, and Yngwie Malmsteen, please welcome Peter Bjorn and John! Actually, Writer's Block is the trio's third album, but it's got all of the freshness and charm of an exciting debut. However, repeated listening reveals a level of craftsmanship and attention to detail that betrays the band's more veteran status.
The group's greatest achievement, though, is their ability to walk the tightrope between coolness and sincerity. The superb single "Young Folks" illustrates this perfectly - it's an innocent song about being enthralled in conversation with a promising member of the opposite sex. Riding a sleek bass line and a tight drumbeat, the tune holds its sentiment at enough of a distance to keep it from getting cloying, but it never feels ironic or insincere either. A prominent whistling hook seals the deal, sounding like Peter (or Bjorn or John) whistling to himself on his way home, almost carefree after the exciting encounter, but with just a hint of the trepidation and melancholy that accompanies the possibility of new commitment. By the time he gets home, he's got one of the year's best pop songs on his hands.
At first, some of the other material seems to pale in comparison to this gem, but it really just takes a little more patience. After a few listens, you're just as likely to find the hook from one of the other songs rattling around inside your head. "Objects Of My Affection" kicks off the album (after the introductory non-song track "Writer's Block") with sweeping confidence. It's driven by persistent, rapidly strummed guitars, and its constant inertia builds up tension before dropping into the effortless coolness of "Young Folks." "Amsterdam" also features a prominent whistling hook (odd that they sequenced both whistling tunes right in a row), but is more of a synth-driven, eighties-inspired tune. "Paris 2004" is a slice of sparkling folk pop that gives the album's sound some nice variety. "Let's Call It Off" could be early Beatles in terms of songcraft, but it is filtered through the rich reverb-heavy sound that Peter Bjorn and John have mastered with this album.
The trio's only misstep, unfortunately, comes at the very end - it seems like they couldn't quite decide on a closer. Individually, either the appropriately cinematic grandeur of "Roll The Credits" or the droning acoustic guitar ballad "Poor Cow" would have made for a fine last chapter of Writer's Block. But back-to-back, the repetitive melodies of the songs and the lack of hook power become underwhelming. Still, this little sequencing problem is only a minor blemish on the face of this beautifully crafted pop album. And if Peter Bjorn and John have more where this came from (and don't actually suffer from writer's block), they are definitely a group worth keeping close tabs on.
Rating: Excellent (8)
4 comments:
Um, there are a lot of words here. Did I miss any references to The Teddybears?
yeah, props to the svenska pop. i'm from barcelona is, honestly, too much fun to be real. i really want to hear the whole PB n' J album - it's really getting a lot of positive word o' blogs. meg put a track on a mix tape for me, and it was pretty solid.
but ryan, you surely can't forget ace of base.
No, sorry...I didn't mention the Teddybears because I haven't actually heard them yet. So that wouldn't have really been a fair play.
But I did mention Ace of Base! Right along with ABBA and Yngwie Malmsteen.
so you did. and further props for his dark count malmsteen.
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