Peter Bjorn And John Get Stuffed

Our look at the closing lines of the week’s biggest new-music reviews continues with a roundup of reactions to Living Thing, the fifth album by Swedish pop troupe Peter Bjorn & John:

• “…the band are, perhaps unwittingly, engaged in an endless attempt to recapture ‘Young Folks” lethally effective qualities of musical simplicity, lyrical precision and an air of mischief, optimism and delight. ‘Nothing to Worry About,’ ‘Lay It Down’ and the title track come closest here. But nowhere near close enough.” [Dan Cairns, Times Of London]

• “The lyrics are by turns earnest and cheeky, but PB & J are most fun when they’re feisty: In ‘Lay It Down,’ the three cry, ‘Hey, shut the fuck up, boy / You are starting to piss me off’-a timeless sentiment, sure to resonate with young folks of all ages.” [Jody Rosen, Rolling Stone]

• “The radio-catchy ‘Lay It Down’ features skull-cracking synths and a chorus of ‘Hey, shut the fuck up, boy!’ Not a savvy career move, but for a band who’ve been covered by Top 40 schmaltz king James Blunt, there’s a better word for it: brave.” [Melissa Maerz, Spin]

• “Still, the three mounted animal heads adorning the front cover come across like an ominous visual statement: Peter Bjorn and John, now stuffed with sawdust!” [Chris Bilton, Eye Weekly]