Writer's Block

对于这些瑞典之类国家的乐队，作为歌迷，也只有当有些什么突破性的作品，才会知道这些在全世界范围内并不是非常出名的艺人，而且听了他们的音乐也是没有前没有后的，即没有听过之前的作品，之后的作品也会因为唱片公司营销政策的问题而失去欣赏的机会，瑞典斯德哥尔摩的Peter Bjorn and John在去年的这张Writer's Block之前，曾经有过两张专辑，也只有这张专辑才稍稍被主流音乐界所认识，而这一突破的原因则是一首Young Folks在英国的发行，并且登上了前40名的位置，并且被美剧Grey's Anatomy播出，歌曲中的嘉宾歌手是The Concretes的Victoria Bergsman. As fine an album as this might be (and indeed it is), it serves a much higher purpose for which it must be immediately recognised. The twee Swedish trio have single-handedly tugged whistling out of popular music's pits where it was stuffed by German soft metal granddads The Scorpions back in the early 90s. It's not even particularly proficient whistling – it's a bit skewiff really, a little out of tune – but it's tacked onto the irresistibly bobbing, Velvet-Underground-via-The-Concretes infectiousness of "Young Folks", augmented by the warm-ember vocals of ex-Concrete Victoria Bergsman herself, and by association sounds fairly heroic. Accidentally anthemic, perhaps, but anthemic nonetheless. Result. Which sets a tone for the rest of this off-kilter lo-fi record. Draw a slightly wonky line from Simon & Garfunkel through to The Shins, making sure you take in the sharp Scandinavian indie-pop of the '90s (Wannadies, The Cardigans) and modern day peers (Radio Dept, Shout Out Louds) and you have a folk album that isn't really all that folk, swimming through its own dreamy washes of ambition. The drumming on tracks like "Let's Call It Off" and "Paris 2004" is so elementary you might as well add your own, but it keeps the intuitive, simplistic 60's beat melodies trickling steadily onwards. The underlying appeal is that things could snap like an elastic band at any moment, that things are beautifully limited. Less writers block, more loving the detail of your first chapter so much you have no inclination to move on. 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 rock 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 ballad 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.