Peter Bjorn and John’s fifth album, Living Thing, does well at separating itself from the band’s previous efforts through a shift towards darker tones and themes not found on 2006’s Writer’s Block. You’ll still find simple-but-elegant vocal melodies paired with catchy choruses.
An appropriate opener, “The Feeling” eases you into the album. The song’s composition is bare, but unique. The opening lyrics, “I feel it/ Can you feel it/ There’s something in the air,” give you a sense of what’s to come on Living Thing. That “something” goes beyond the band’s usual quirky percussion and interesting guitar and synthesizer tones without straying away from their original sound.
“It Don’t Move Me” and “Just the Past” are quality tunes, but the band’s first single, “Nothing to Worry About,” reminds you PB&J can get stuck in your head just as easily as it can get stuck on the roof of your mouth. It begins with the infectious hook: “Do this thing, this type of thing/ Put a little money in this type of thing/ I’ve got nothing to worry about/ I’ve got nothing to worry about” — sung by a children’s choir, and later led by Peter Mor?n — and is backed perfectly with a boom-clap hip-hop beat. Mor?n’s verses echo the uncertainty of the times; he seems to be rerouting criticism back at the source with a new flavor of sarcasm mixed with a hint of cynicism in lyrics like, “Negative/ Why always so negative/ If you’ve got problems/ Why don’t you go solve them.” At the same time, these Swedish indie rockers always stay fun and make you feel good despite the heavier subject matter.
A prime example of this is “I’m Losing My Mind.” Approaching insanity has never been more upbeat. PB&J deliver melancholy filled lines like, “It’s coming to get me/ It’s here to collect me/ I can laugh if I have to/ But it won’t make me happy” while pairing them with an upbeat snare that encourages clapping until the end. “I’m Losing My Mind” even punctuates chorus lines with melodic “ah’s” that seem to accept the inevitable grasp of lunacy while somehow keeping it under control. Albert Einstein defined insanity as “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Peter Bjorn and John avoid these tendencies by trying new things (i.e. 2008’s Seaside Rock), and if anything, Living Thing shows the band’s potential.
The second single, “Lay it Down,” sends a strong message of new-age chivalry. Mor?n raises his voice without increasing his volume, denouncing douchebaggery with the lines, “Hey, shut the fuck up boy/ You are starting to piss me off/ Take your hands off that girl/ You have already had enough.” Bjorn and John join in on these lines for the chorus, and the band sounds ready to flex its muscle if some dick doesn’t cut it out. Jealousy appears absent; PB&J just want the girl to know that she deserves better. “You’re just gonna let her down,” is directed to the inconsiderate guy as to shake him out of his selfish ways. If there’s one good way to get through a thick skull, it’s probably through a catchy chorus hook fueled by a heartening composition and tasteful profanity.
Peter Bjorn and John have created a beautiful Frankenstein monster with Living Thing, but the product may be difficult to fully appreciate in the shadow of Writer’s Block. Some tracks stand out more than others, but the album grows on you.
4 stars out of 5.
