Swedish trio delivers
Published Nov. 3, 2006
The anatomy of a perfect pop song is nearly impossible to decipher. There are elements in the best pop — effortlessly great vocals, unforgettable melody, masterful orchestration — that can be pointed to as necessities, but that's just scraping the surface, and even those elements are vague and abstract.
There's been a bevy of remarkable pop songs released this year, from Gnarls Barkley's "Crazy" to Lily Allen's "LDN" to The Pipettes' "Pull Shapes." They are all unique in ambition and execution, but when each song ends, it's clear that something monumental has just occurred. And although great pop songs are released each year, it's rare to see the release of a consistently listenable purely pop album.
So when a band like Sweden's Peter Bjorn and John releases both an eye-opening single ("Young Folks") and a consistent pop album, it's kind of something to behold.
Writer's Block is not exceptional by any means, but it is significant because in the context of the album, its best tracks don't come off as crowning achievements, but rather as parts of a bigger whole.
Anyone who already knows about the band will surely have heard of it because of "Young Folks" popularity in the tubular world on the Internet. Its elements of genius are apparent in the first 10 seconds, from the so-simple-its-brilliant drum beat and the maracas to the whistling. The vocals, aided by ex-Concretes singer Victoria Bergsman, are cold and echoed, but the distance is necessary. As per the album, its brilliance is confined in its tightness. This band does not fuck around.
Conventional wisdom would say frontloading the album with your two biggest tracks, in this case "Young Folks" and "Amsterdam," would leave the latter half susceptible to being ignored, but where Writer's Block should falter (its middle third) is where the most staying power is found.
The restrained exuberance of "Paris 2004" is matched only by its wistful nostalgia and its airy vocals, chiming xylophones and needling acoustic guitar give the song the feel of a shining sun on a cold day. "Let's Call It Off" takes that early afternoon mood and flips the script. Vocalist Björn Yttling sheds his skin as a forlorn lover and kisses off the album's most confident chorus as guitarist Peter Morén adds Spanish-style guitar and a solo to the mix.
It might not set the world on fire, but it's a model of achieving triumphant pop consistency by knowing, elevating and highlighting your strengths. So fuck expectations and year-end lists — that's good enough.
Artist: Peter Bjorn and John
Album: Writer's Block
Genre: Indie pop
Record Label: Wichita Records
Release Date: Nov. 9
Most Listenworthy Track: 'Let's Call It Off'
Reviewer's Rating: 4 out of 5 Ms