Peter Bjorn and John: more exciting than moniker
Paradise, Boston, April 28, 2009
Reviewed by Jeffrey B. Remz
Peter Bjorn & John would not be accused of having the most exciting moniker going. Fortunately, the music of the Swedish trio was far more entertaining in a sold-out performance.
PB&J gained much acclaim in the States with their previous effort, "Writer's Block," and more specifically the song Young Folks.
Peter Moren is the lead singer and focal point of the band, which put out "Living Thing" CD was out in March. Decked out in a white jacket, Moren as well as the rest of the band cut a likable presence. He sings well enough and played some good guitar. He also switched up instruments with Bjorn Yttling, who mainly held down the bass. Drummer John Eriksson set a good beat, contributed occasional backing vocals and whisteled on Young Folks, which Moren labeled as "Swedish soul."
The songs tended to be taut, catchy, but with a bit of bite to them. Moren also was a good front man. In addition to his musical skills, he cut a humorous stage presence, never getting oh so serious and making for a good night out. In introducing Lay It Down from then new CD, Moren said, "We just released a new album, which is probably the best album ever."
The one big negative was the length of the regular set. At not even 50 minutes, chintzy would be the operative word.
Fortunately, they stretched it out during their encore, which was half as long as the regular set. They mixed it up during the three songs with Step This Way probably the sparest song from a musical standpoint they played all night. Nothing to Worry About used a tape of kids to start the song in a very lively song punctuated by Moren's guitar at the start. The closing Up Against the Wall was very very long as advertised with the band at full tilt musically.
Peter Bjorn & John spent some time making good music, with a light hand.
Chairlift, a trio from Brooklyn, opened the show in support of their recently released major label debut, "Does You Inspire You." Utilizing keyboards, some tapes, a drummer/bassist and guitarist, the sound is one of atmospherics, sometimes moody, with occasional bite. That tended to be the problem - there wasn't enough to latch onto during their nearly 40-minute set.
The standouts were the musically stronger Earwig Town and Bruiser, which was lighter musically and a bit faster.
Caroline Polacheck's vocals might have sounded a lot prettier and cut a lot deeper if mixed higher, but it was almost impossible to hear anything that she sang.
