Falling Out

After an uneven but well received European debut in 2002, Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John made their North American entrance with Falling Out in 2005. Running with the unabashedly pop sensibility that colored their first release (with British Invasion at the core) the trio took their sound to new places on Falling Out, using recording techniques and different instrumentation to enhance their more straightforward pop songwriting. “Far Away, By My Side” is a loping, sunny song that blends sparkling acoustic guitars and a creepy computerized voice, implying a technological connection rather than a flesh-and-blood link. The reverb and throbbing bass line of “Money” hints at a darker tone (“I love to see you cry”), but the song is shot through with PB&J’s undeniable melancholy, especially when the guest vocals of Ellekari Larsson kick in. “I know what you have done for me lately,” sings a wry Peter Morén on “It Beats Me Everytime. “It’s nothing... nothing.” The band’s songwriting strengths rival those of classic bands like Squeeze or the Jam and newer bands like the Shins and New Pornographers, and each track is imbued with depth and nuance.