If there was any doubt that the Swedish indie rock band Peter Bjorn and John could outdo their famously catchy, whistling tune "Young Folks," Living Thing, their newest album, proves that there is much more wit and creativity where the international hit single came from.
Released March 31, Living Thing earned much recognition for the single "Nothing to Worry About," with its otherworldly marching-band sound.
"Nothing to Worry About" is not a lone gem; the entire album is filled with easily memorable and innovative songs.
There's the breezy, swaying melody of "Just the Past," the energetic beat of the title track "Living Thing", and the playful lyrics of "I Want You!"
In the song "Blue Period Picasso," the band shows its cleverness and sophistication by using a Picasso painting as the speaker that urges its audience to steal it and "Run down the stairs out in open air/Away from the ladies, the Japanese tourists."
Living Thing seems to signal a progression in the art of Peter Bjorn and John toward an electronic, almost futuristic pop sound. Although this tendency toward a New Age style was evident in certain singles on the 2006 album Writer's Block, it seems to have been decidedly embraced in Living Thing.
Even so, the mastery of lyric and sound crafting that makes the band so interesting is still present in this album.
Current fans of Peter Bjorn and John will appreciate the evolution marked by consistency, and new listeners are in for an exciting new sound.
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