Image by Stevie Howell
Staying power
Peter Bjorn and John more than a hit single
By Stevie Howell
Published: January 24th, 2008 | 7:20pm
January 22, 2008, in Toronto — Most people know of Peter Bjorn and John via their infectiously catchy hit “Young Folks,” and after hearing the tune countless times in 2007, I began to wonder if its popularity might undermine the group's lasting power. Silly me. First of all, PB&J have released three albums in the last five years and have been long known throughout their native Sweden and much of Europe. Secondly, Kanye West endorses them — which is not unlike when Oprah picks your book. Thirdly, on a frigid Tuesday night, only a glance into the absolutely packed concert venue was needed to realize PB&J have serious drawing — and lasting — power. All those fans (and Kanye) can’t be wrong.
Opening for PB&J was the fast-rising Young Galaxy. This Montreal-based band is one of the first on the Arts & Crafts label not to emerge out of the Broken Social Scene collective. A sprawling six-piece (two women and four men), its music has both a scrappy DIY feel and a moody shoegaze or prog vibe, making for a fresh and interesting combination. In this age of "metal-dance" and mash-ups, Young Galaxy feels similarly new — but entirely authentic. Definitely seek out the tunes “Sun’s Coming Up” or “Destroyer.”
After being mightily impressed by Young Galaxy and how the sextet captured the crowd, all it took was intermission to be reminded that PB&J are a very big deal that might as well be from another stratosphere. A batallion of roadies emerged from the wings and scrambled around for an interminable, musicless 45 minutes until the lights finally dimmed and a sitar ushered in "Young Folks." I was hypnotized, having forgotten about the wait.
On record, Peter Bjorn and John are hard not to like, but it was a pleasant surprise to find that their music has a much harder edge live — more driven by drums and bass, and the guitar much more brash. The music was tighter and more aggressive and it darkened the lyrics of songs like “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off.” Midway through the set, members of Young Galaxy came out to sing “Young Folks.”
PB&J should make a live record to capture their high-energy and raw sound because the musicianship is so tight and Peter’s vocals are so pristine that they lose as much as they gain with all the production on Writer's Block (Wichita/Almost Gold). Oh, and while I’m telling this internationally acclaimed band what to do, please minimize the set-up time — there is perfection in non-divaness, too!
Issue #35
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