Living Thing

I hate it when I want to like something and I just can't. I know I should love coleslaw considering I am from the South, but after years of trying it and trying it and trying it, I just gave up. Nothing was going to make me like it. Unfortunately, I am sitting here listening to the new cd from Peter Bjorn & John, Living Thing, and I am in the same quandary. I loved their last cd Writer's Block, which contained the ubiquitous anthem "Young Folks." Who could fail to resist the charms of that sparkling single? So when I saw their new cd was to be released I was very excited. That, coupled with the first single "Nothing to Worry About" which is just as fun as "Young Folks," I had very high expectations. Unfortunately, I am left staring at a huge plate of coleslaw.

In the interim between this cd and Writer's Block, PB&J have released solo albums, produced everyone in the Swedish/Nordic universe including Lykke Li, and have ??? been hanging out with Kanye West and lots of other rap/hip hop artists. You can tell instantly the Kanye influence on the album. It is like they have been listening to 808s and Heartbreak nonstop for months. The first song off the cd is "The Feeling" which is all tinny drum machines, hand claps, and voice percussion; not an attention grabber that is for sure. Things pick up after with "It Don't Move Me" which has a more upbeat tempo and better melody. The Kanye influence comes back for "Just The Past" with its muted drum machines and minimalist keyboards, but sounds much better than the opening song.

Finally, four songs in, PB&J kick it back up with first single "Nothing to Worry About." In my opinion, it is even better than "Young Folks." Has a slippery bass line and hand clap beats, with a singalong chorus. Even the video is fun and bouncy. It is definitely in my top ten singles of the year so far.



After this song I was hopeful that the cd would pick up and be as fun as Writer's Block, however, the rest of the cd seems like a lot of sketches that were not developed into full blown songs. There are a lot of interesting beats, synth patches, and other musical elements, however, none of them coalesce into anything coherent. It is almost like a Swedish Bobby McFerrin album; too many voices as percussion. It reaches a nadir on "Lay It Down" with the not clever lyrics: "Hey, shut the fuck up boy/you are starting to piss me off" which goes on ad infinitum.

I have listened to the cd over 20 times, and like the coleslaw, it is just not sitting well with me. Unlike the coleslaw though, I do not intend on giving it another a shot. It is just not worth it in the long run. I can only hope the end of the month will bring me some better returns, with new releases from the Pet Shop Boys and Depeche Mode.