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Peter Bjorn and John: Gimme Some

Star Time International/Cooking Vinyl

Since its 2002 debut, Sweden’s Peter Bjorn and John has made a guessing game out of what it will do next, from the neo-psychedelic pop of 2005’s Falling Out to the jagged electro-hip-hop textures of 2009’s Living Thing. Frontman and guitarist Peter Moren refers to the group’s latest outing Gimme Some as “back to basics,” but the term is too facile. Moren and his mates—bassist Bjorn Yttling and drummer John Eriksson —have recast the compact “live trio” feel of 2006’s Writer’s Block. But with newly hired producer Per Sunding in the mix, there’s also a hefty sheen of Spector-ish slapback echo that hangs over songs like the impossibly catchy “Eyes” (with Moren channeling John Lennon) and the spooky rocker “May Seem Macabre.” In fact, complex layers of tape distortion and other vintage effects—even on the punked-out quick shots “Breaker Breaker” and “Black Book”—rule throughout, setting Gimme Some widely apart from the rest of the PBJ oeuvre in songcraft and sonics.