“Technically” Writer’s Block
First of all, let me just ask this hypothetical; is Sweden like the den of amazingness for pop music or what? Seriously, so much amazing stuff is coming out of there, that when I hear “they are from Sweden”, I am not surprised that I love it so. After all, not only is one of my all time favorite bands, The Cardigans, from that very den of amazingness, but the amazingly wonderful Robyn also hails from that foreign land of magic and wonder. I bring this up, because, as you may have guessed, Peter Bjorn and John are from Sweden! Perhaps that answers my question for me, because based on what they did on Writer’s Block can only be described as pop-rock-amazingness.
From the first of those retro-styled beats, vigorous strumming guitars, and through the whistle-back tracked, this album really sucks you in, and in a way that many other records just cannot (I challenge you to listen to “Young Folks” and not have it stuck in your head for HOURS). PB and J (ha!) have a great skill in mastering beats and harmonies that make you bop your head with the rhythm, all while haunting you with scratchy and vintage lyrical stylings. On several songs, a simple strike of a singular chord on a guitar sets the stage for a retro-dance journey that is impossible to sit still through. What’s so amazing about this album, is how the simple elements are used, and layered, in order to make something wholly complex and fantastic; the result is truly an invigoration of your auditory senses.
However, after as much good as I could say, and as much as I could go on and on about how much I love (LOVE!) this indie-pop record, I do have a major complaint; which is THE reason it gets the rating it does. The only problem I have with this record, is that they clearly lack the ability to edit themselves. Let me explain. There are many times that I will hear a song, and I will profess my love for it, only to realize that it ends with the singer repeating the same word (or words) over, and over, and over, and over, and over again; which I find quite annoying. The love for an otherwise brilliant song is ruined by a lack of editing on the part of the singer; s/he did not need to say it that many times, and if they hadn’t, the song would have been much better for it. Such is the case with Peter Bjorn and John; but their editing mistake does not come in the manner of repetitive lyrical hyperbole. The only (ONLY) problem I have with this record, is that on at least a couple of songs (Up Against the Wall is probably the biggest offender), they don’t edit the song appropriately, and the result leaves with you with up to a minute or more of “when the fuck is this song going to end!!??!??!” running through your brain. Sure, the song is great, but if you would have cut it off like, I don’t know, a minute and a half ago when it was actually over, it would have been brilliant. I’m just saying. As such, that is why it pains me to dock them a full star in the rating department, because I cannot stress how deep my love is for PB and J; but it really makes that big of a difference to me, in fact, it sullies all of the goodness, unfortunately. Oh well… at least I can hit next before the thoughts in my head cause me to veer off into oncoming traffic to end the insanity, right?
Overall, a brilliant album that could have massively benefited from a few more MINOR bits of polishing and necessary editing. Other than that, no complaints; this is what is RIGHT about music. Now my eyes (and ears) are firmly focused on what will come out of Sweden next!!!
Favorites from Writer’s Block:
Amsterdam
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/pbj-amsterdam.mp3]
Paris 2004
[audio:http://www.duanemoody.com/audio/pbj-paris.mp3]
Objects of My Affection, Young Folks, and Let’s Call It Off. (clicky for youtube goodness…)
Rating: 