PB&J! LOLZ!

Peter Bjorn & John are a Swedish trio that have gathered a lot of praise for their recent full length Writer's Block. I've been reaching for what to compare their sound to, but haven't been able to come up with anything useful. What makes my apparent lack of comparative analysis talent notable is the fact that nothing this band does really breaks any rules or does anything that hasn't been done before. Everything sounds familiar, yet never derivative - the mark of a good band. Since this blog would be worthless if I didn't give you some frame of reference in which to approach this album, I'll go ahead and say Broken Social Scene. It has the same sense that every track is an amalgamation of a multitude of musical backgrounds and personalities, just like BSS's modern pop classic You Forgot It In People. But unlike BSS, this album never sounds cluttered or over-produced, and the songs are more classic pop than post-punk. (Listen to "Amsterdam" without tapping your foot. I dare you.) In the end, though, comparisons are useless. This album has a unique endearing charm that I could see growing on me.

Peter Bjorn And John- Amsterdam from Writer's Block

Peter Bjorn and John- Young Folks from Writer's Block

Holy balls, how did it get to be November? Look for a couple of posts about my favorite tracks of the year this month and a top-ten albums of the year post in mid-December.