Peter Bjorn And John: Gimme Some

Peter Bjorn And John
Gimme Some
Star Time International [2011]









Fire Note Says: Gimme Some represents a return to upbeat pop form for Swedish trio Peter Bjorn And John.

Album Review:
Every band that really "makes it" commercially and critically always struggles on their subsequent albums to regain that glory. Swedish trio Peter Bjorn And John are no exception, as the whistling single "Young Folks" put them on the map but was supported by the excellent songs around it that formed Writer's Block [2007]. Their followup smartly changed direction some and came off more serious, which yielded some great moments but still couldn't match Writer's cohesiveness. It should not surprise too many then that Gimme Some returns the group to plenty of uptempo tracks, more guitar play and an injection of musical caffeine. Personally, I enjoyed Peter Bjorn And John shaking things up on Living Things [2009] but Gimme Some plays to their strengths. It has the more sunny popster songs like the bouncy "Dig A Little Deeper", while their guitar power shines on the more punk driven "Breaker Breaker" and "Black Book". Gimme Some is definitely free of restrictions and finds Peter Bjorn And John having fun. It is not the record that defines their career but it is catchy, memorable and worthy of repeat listens, which is usually all a band can ask for!

Key Tracks: "Black Book", "Second Chance", "Lies"

Bands With Similar Fire:
The Posies
The Russian Futurists
Fancey

Peter Bjorn And John: Living Thing [Fire Note Review 3/30/09]
Peter Bjorn And John: Writer's Block [Fire Note Review 2/21/07]

Peter Bjorn And John Website
Peter Bjorn And John MySpace
Peter Bjorn And John Facebook
Star Time International

-Reviewed by Christopher Anthony