Peter Bjorn and John's third album deserves every bit of attention and hype it's received, from large media outlets right down to the lowliest blog. It's a major work of post-everything indie rock that has enough hooks, production genius, and emotional strength to make other ock acts (indie or otherwise) sound like they are just wasting everyone's time. The group's previous two albums were excellent power pop records with an excess of brains and style, whereas Writer's Block scales back the guitars in favor of subtler arrangements that deliver just as much power sonically and ups the stakes in every other way. Every song has that kind of stripped-down, well-thought-out, whatever-works production style that brings the music fully to life. Check the steel drums on "Let's Call It Off," the shh-shh-shh percussion on "The Chills," or the majestic tubular bells of "Roll the Credits" for Spectorian shoegaze production magic. Or look at the infectious single "Young Folks" for the key to why the record sounds so right. Here they added the whistling as a marker for a future instrument but realized the offhanded whistle was just what the song needed. These are the decisions that make for greatness. Sure, the songs would have worked fine with just guitar-bass-drums backing, but the arrangements are like huge hooks that catch you and won't let go. The band also isn't content to stick to a formula. From the reverberating New Order sound of "Up Against the Wall," the small-group balladry of "Poor Cow," and the dynamic indie rock hum of "Objects of My Affection" to the austere synth pop of "Amsterdam," each song has a unique feel that adds up to an album that works as a whole as well as a collection of great songs.
While the sound of Writer's Block is varied, the lyrical content is pretty black-and-white, focusing on the highs and (mostly) lows of romance. On the high side there's the giddy us-against-the-world "Young Folks," which is as nice a love allad as you'll hear anywhere. Victoria Bergsman and Peter Moren's duet is enough to warm the heart of even the grumpiest romance snob. The lilting "Paris 2004," which features the perfectly sweet line "while I'm sleeping you paint a ring on my finger with your black marker pen," is also heartbreakingly romantic. The lows are as low as the highs are high. You have lovers about to break up ("Let's Call It Off," "Up Against the Wall," and "Roll the Credits"), guys feeling wistful as hell ("The Chills"), and absolutely desolate heartache ("Objects of My Affection"). Without the love songs, this would have been a very bleak listen; as it is, the balance is just right. It's pretty rare for a band to get better after being together as long as PB&J. Usually they peter out quickly and start releasing retreads or desperate attempts to make a statement or keep a record deal. Writer's Block is the work of a band at the absolute peak of its writing and performing skill. It's hard to imagine Peter Bjorn and John getting better than this. Hopefully they will, but if not, they'll always have this album to call their masterpiece.
So I’d been looking for a new record to check-out over the past few weeks. Anyway, after reading the generally glowing reviews in Filter, CME, and Q Magazine, I grabbed myself a copy of the new Peter, Bjorn and John record⎯ Writer’s Block. For those of you who don’t know the band or their work, they’re veterans at this point. The strangest thing for me about the recent ascendancy of i
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I have this theory that myspace is merely a place for pedophiles to go to find their next victims and I also believe in karma. This past summer I have come to the belief that myspace also believes in karma, in order to make up for the possibly millions of young childrens lives they ruined they have decided to host a series of free "secret" shows. Since June they have hosted two shows in this...
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I had the opportunity to see/photograph Peter Bjorn and John at City Hall in Nashville on Aug. 8th. I was a little skeptical of their ability to fill that 1200 person venue, and my skepticism proved to be somewhat well-founded. I doubt there were more than 400 people there, but that didn't stop them from bringing their A-game. They had a fill-in drummer, citing family emergencies for John's abs...
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I love this band, I just discovered them and they are amazing!!!They are now, one of my favorite Indie bands...Objects of my Affections is a glorious song!!
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Since I decided to ignore lukewarm accounts of the Coachella set by Sweden’s pop-rockin’ Peter Bjorn & John, I was well-greased to see them live – especially at the first of two sold-out nights by the band at Bimbo’s, the kewlest supper-club in North Beach.It was more than just the whistling on their fiendishly insistent single “Young Folks,” although, as Odin is my witness, I find tha
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Something always goes wrong when I go to Dublin. This time it was John the drummer. He didn't make it over, getting stuck in an airport in Stockholm. Apparently the guys also lost some gear on the way over, but they seemed to manage with borrowed gear.The first support act were Les Bien, a 'super charged' dance group. We missed most of their set because there wasn't a working ATM for a bit of a...
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I think that the new Peter Bjorn + John song "Young Folks" is quite the catchy and upbeat tune. I'm going to go try and whistle now.
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I don't know about you, but composing this year's list of top 10 albums has proven more difficult than usual. There were a lot of solid albums released in 2006, but few stellar ones. I think this is illustrated by the fact that people's end-of-year lists don't overlap all that much - friends and music critics alike. So with that in mind, here are my top 10 albums of 2006 (in no particular order...
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These are my feelings about Coachella...One day God sat down and pondered:"Self? What is the one thing I could do for Jen's birthday that would make Jen so happy that she would literally explode from said happiness?"Well thought He/She/It..."I could gather every amazing indie rock band in existence and throw in some Red Hot Chili Peppers and a reunion of Rage Against the Machine...yes, that is ...
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for about the last month i haven't really been feeling it music wise. i have been in a musical slump. i haven't really been listening to anything or feeling like listening to anything. but then something happened today to change all that... i was in my car driving to the library and pass the crowds of drinkers celebrating st. patty's day like any honest american should and i had my xm radio on...
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Yup. After reading about them and seeing Drew Barrymore wear their shirt, I finally heard a Peter Bjorn and John song. It was "Young Folks." Just from hearing one song, I decided to (legally) download their cd. It's so fucking rad. I can't stop listening to it. I would upload a song, but um...the upload thing isn't working too well for me right now.
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Well, I'm not going to be going anywhere near SXSW this year, but thanks to the people at SXSW I will get to enjoi a large amount of music that's going to be playing. If you goto the South by Southwest site and swing by the bands playing, a large selection have mp3s to sample. So I did just that, I'm currently synchronizing my mp3 player to start playing what will be playing wednesday. It's ...
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This song is great, puts a smile on my face and makes me feel good. I enjoyed the whole cd. I recommend !
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[ _disclaimer: this is disjointed and exhausted. segue has been forsaken for stream of consciousness. proceed at your own peril. i apologize for nothing._ ]so i slagged in from work and valentines shopping [i got one person a gift. one. _you know who you are_ ] around 5:30 today and took a minute to just lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling, which is actually a decently interesting canvas in ...
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I've been collecting a bunch of cool songs to put in a mix, and I figured now is as good a time as any to put them out there.Emil & Friends - Downed Economy Solid Gold - Get Over It Pic Vicious - LA Dreamer Pretty Good Dance Moves - Demons Dancing Division Kent - Offshore Red Light Company - Scheme Eugene (James Yuill Omega 3 Mix) Holiday For Strings - Two of You Jen Feldman - J...
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Since I decided to ignore lukewarm accounts of the Coachella set by Sweden’s pop-rockin’ Peter Bjorn & John, I was well-greased to see them live – especially at the first of two sold-out nights by the band at Bimbo’s, the kewlest supper-club in North Beach.It was more than just the whistling on their fiendishly insistent single “Young Folks,” although, as Odin is my witness, I find tha
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*My first gig and travel of 2007 began with a weekend in Paris.*This trip was my third to Paris since last Fall and I was looking forward to a weekend away from home with some easy music from a band I enjoy but don't worship, in other words 'no pressure'. We took a cheap train into the Capital to see Peter Bjorn & John at the hobbit hole venue, "La Maroquinerie":http://www.lamaroquinerie.fr, Sa...
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im not a fan of the ipod. stick with Creative.
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Remember how every radio station, regardless of what their rock variation format is, played Gnarls Barkley’s “Crazy” last summer? This year’s equivalent is Peter Bjorn and John’s “Young Folks”, a song I’ve been liking ever since I heard it the first time. But that first time was 9 months ago and now every single radio station out here in San Francisco is playing it every hour. A
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for about the last month i haven't really been feeling it music wise. i have been in a musical slump. i haven't really been listening to anything or feeling like listening to anything. but then something happened today to change all that... i was in my car driving to the library and pass the crowds of drinkers celebrating st. patty's day like any honest american should and i had my xm radio on...
More >
About two weeks or so ago I was listening to this song on the busride back to DeLand from Daytona. It got stuck in my head all afternoon. I figured I should share in the glow of it.Today it's the first Indie Intelligence song I'm highlighting...Now I can't whistle for sh!t, but this is a damn good song. Kinda reminds me of Wolfgang and Rebekah from the "Trans-Europa":http://trans-europeexpre...
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A top-5 record from the past year (for me) has been Peter, Bjorn & John's Writers Block. I had picked up the Swedish edition of the record the week after it came out and it has stayed in constant rotation ever since. Of course, the US releases it with a second disc of bonus tracks (no longer in print, but still available if you do your homework) and I had to buy a domestic version. I had been s...
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[ _disclaimer: this is disjointed and exhausted. segue has been forsaken for stream of consciousness. proceed at your own peril. i apologize for nothing._ ]so i slagged in from work and valentines shopping [i got one person a gift. one. _you know who you are_ ] around 5:30 today and took a minute to just lie on my bed and stare at the ceiling, which is actually a decently interesting canvas in ...
More >
Yup. After reading about them and seeing Drew Barrymore wear their shirt, I finally heard a Peter Bjorn and John song. It was "Young Folks." Just from hearing one song, I decided to (legally) download their cd. It's so fucking rad. I can't stop listening to it. I would upload a song, but um...the upload thing isn't working too well for me right now.
More >
I had the opportunity to see/photograph Peter Bjorn and John at City Hall in Nashville on Aug. 8th. I was a little skeptical of their ability to fill that 1200 person venue, and my skepticism proved to be somewhat well-founded. I doubt there were more than 400 people there, but that didn't stop them from bringing their A-game. They had a fill-in drummer, citing family emergencies for John's abs...
More >
Sometimes I hear a track thats so good it still maintains appeal after constant and sometimes continuous repetitions. This is such a track, I found it off my friends ipod who himself was "suffering" the from same mind state. It was a good thing I decided to get the album instead of just the track because it turns out I like most of the rest of the tracks such as "Young Folks", "Start to Melt" a...
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Hey Mog, Sorry I've been so distant lately, but CBW's world has been put on shuffle, and he's just trying to keep the family running while the wife has been outta commission with a knee injury. I still think about you, and have read and responded to scant posts, but it's just been so hard lately. So I need a favor, moggers. I was in Ross yesterday, looking for shoes for my son, and the in st...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Writer's Block |
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| 2 Objects Of My Affection |
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| 3 Young Folks |
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| 4 Amsterdam |
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| 5 Start To Melt |
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| 6 Up Against The Wall |
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| 7 Paris 2004 |
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| 8 Let's Call It Off |
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| 9 The Chills |
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| 10 Roll The Credits |
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| 11 Poor Cow |
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| 12 Ancient Curse |
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| 13 All Those Expectations (Weak Remix) |
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| 14 Let's Call It Off (Girl Talk Remix) |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "Writer's Block")
