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Peter Bjorn & John “Living Thing” – Where is John Hughes When You Need Him?

March 31, 2009 by John Foster

Setting the stage with the electroslap that begins “The Feeling,” Peter Bjorn & John officially announce their devotion to the dance floor on their much-anticipated newbie, “Living Thing.” The big fat echoey piano line that kicks “It Don’t Move Me” into gear is a little slice o’ magic. The thing that the group has always done so well is finding a simple hook and then riding it out for 3 minutes. Like The Pet Shop Boys or Depeche Mode (who they will open for on a shed tour this summer – here’s to hoping it improves their live show!) they know a good thing and don’t fuck it up with tons of layers. It’s a formula that they have proven over their discography as well as for the likes of Lykke Li. “It Don’t Move Me” adds in little snaps and claps and beats and twirls but not much more, with the awkward vocals adding all the personality necessary.

“Just The Past” colors a simple riffed string with dub-like backing vocals and spare (but thunderous) percussion. Stretching a little too long,, it reminds me heavily of Fun Boy Three which makes me wonder if the boys couldn’t make these tracks into global hits behind someone prettier in both looks and vocals like FB3 did with the Go-Go’s and Bananarama.

When the bass melody and slight rap delivery of “Nothing To Worry About” kicks in, I stop giving a shit about dissecting anything going on and just shake a little lily white ass. That kid’s chorus going firmly into the red does it to me every time!!!! PB+J are old school in the sense that each record seems to carry a definite single and there have been few better in the past 12 months than “Worry.” It’s really fucking good. What else is there to say? Just roll down the windows and blast that bitch.

“I’m Losing My Mind” is the first track to really introduce guitar as a heavy element and it suffers from it. The thudding beat and propensity to mimic the melody, vocally as well as instrumentally, doesn’t help when there isn’t much melody to build on. Another point where the boys are old school – there is always a little filler. “Living Thing” clicks in on percussion that sounds as if it was digitized from the sound of keyboard typing rather than the obvious synth woodblock it is. The rest of the musical accompaniment is odd little riffing and what I suspect they think is a western swing. It’s a funny result from what must have been a challenge to write a country song from the bitter cold of Swedish winter. It’s cute, but lacks the sincerity of even a Wall of Voodoo. (Please note that all musical references are from the late 80s – not because I am old – but because the record is awash in that era like nothing since the actual time period itself.)

“I Want You!” pairs “my first U2 songbook” guitar with clumsy melodies and keyboard bass rolls and clickity clack percussion, but uses the shambling presentation to great effect as the “I want you!” chorus builds a half note past his range. The wrapping may be studio gloss, but the sentiment is so real it can’t be missed ladies. “Lay It Down” uses distorted juvenile chants in an “Iko Iko” clang of blocks into a clapping groove that serves as a wallflower anthem. Its dance music to sit by the sidelines with as that douche takes the chickee you have been feeding movie quotes all night for a spin. Been there. Nice to have a soundtrack for it now though.

“Stay This Way” comes on like a doo-wop track slowed to a crawl, complete with a Frankie Valli bass line by way of Soft Cell. It goes on far too long (more shades of Fun Boy Three) in it’s echoey shuffle and creates the first awkward segue into the a-capella intro for “Blue Period Picasso.” Shaking that off for a crystal clear OMD impression with the requisite synth pops and twinkles – you have to admire that the overt play is enchanting. However, they do trample the melody a little bit by not giving it any room to breath with the continuous singing. One has to smile at the marriage of such playing combined with a lyrical picture of stealing “art” and “hearts.” Where is John Hughes when you desperately need him to make another movie so PB+J can steal the soundtrack?

“4 Out Of 5” is an out of place dirge that I can’t listen to all the way through (damn filler again!) before the icy synth (Alphaville “Forever Young” anyone!) of closer “Last Night” saunters in. The frailty in the singing (are PB+J really the ultimate twee band?) grabs you instantly. It’s the first time where they change the melody subtly with just the phrasing or hitting a down note. The 2-second kitchen sink percussion break (like the world’s tiniest Phil Collins sample) is so amazing that you keep waiting for its return on the edge of your seat. The track serves to bookend the record (truly beginning with “It Don’t Move Me”) and show just what makes the trio so special. They take elements that are dripping in cheese by this point and should honestly not be able to be salvaged – however, in their trusted hands, they pour their hearts into the process and play it with such sincerity that you take it all at face value and love it all the more. It can be hit or miss. But when it hits, oh lordy does it hit hard.

Are they really going to shake the entire dance floor at a trendanista downtown club or make you crawl under the covers and cry about last nights missed tryst?

Probably not.

But are they going to try?

Fuck yeah their skinny pale asses are.

Related:

• “Socks In Odd Places” We Were Promised Jetpacks – A BYT Interview (2)
• Judging A Cover By Its Cover: The Wedding Present “Bizarro” (2)
• Sagmeister: The Smell of Bananas – A BYT Interview (0)
• Pop Art Icon James Rosenquist: The BYT Interview (3)
• Judging A Cover By Its Cover: The Big Pink “A Brief History of Love” (8)

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