Please Release Me: Peter Bjorn And John’s “Writer’s Block”

Welcome to the inaugral edition of “Please Release Me,” in which your Idolators request–nay beg–that an out-of-print, delayed or held-up-in-customs album be issued stateside. Our first record has received so many blog plaudits, even its biggest fans might be surprised that it’s still unavailable in the U.S.:

Artist: Peter Bjorn and John Hometown: Stockholm, Sweden Album: Writer’s Block What is it?: Every four seconds, another charming, stuck-in-the-’60s Swedish pop-rock album is released into the world, but Writer’s Block doesn’t fall into the repetitive rut that afflicts many of PB&J’s peers. The songs are shambling but never go too far astray, and sharp hooks come from some unlikely sources (such as the whistling breakdown on “Amsterdam,” below). It’s a great album, and one that probably wouldn’t have gotten this far without championing from the high-visibility blogs, who will no doubt call us out for being so six months ago. Where Is It?: Though V2 is distributing Block internationally, so far there are no announced plans yet for a domestic edition–strange, considering that “Young Folks” and “Amsterdam” have received so much MP3 affection. Perhaps the tepid response to last year’s admittedly so-so Falling Out has given them pause, or maybe bloggermania doesn’t always translate into real-world sales. Or maybe–just maybe–we don’t know what the hold-up is, and should stop speculating.

Peter Bjorn And John – Amsterdam [MP3, link expired] Peter Bjorn And John – Let’s Call It Off [MP3, link expired] Peter Bjorn And John – Young Folks [MP3, link expired] Peter Bjorn And John [MySpace site] Writer’s Block [Torrent]