Swedish import making waves

Many things come to mind upon utterance of the word Sweden. Perhaps you think of the country nestled next to Norway, its rolling hillsides or even the country's trouble-free yellow and blue flag gently blowing in the breeze while its national anthem, "Du gamla, du fria," plays gives you a sense of Swedish nationalistic pride. Or, if you're like me, you think of the recent surge of great Swedish indie artists. \nWhile time can be well-spent listening to the likes of other Swede-rock stars such as Lonely Dear, El Perro Del Mar, The Knife, José González or even Jens Lekman, three names have arguably been dropped more than any others when talking about Swedish indie-rock. Those names are Peter, Bjorn and John.\nThis three-piece formed in Stockholm just before the turn of the 21st century and has been slowly becoming a buzz-worthy band with hipsters the world over. Their newest album has been available as an import since 2006, but the release of the American version of Writer's Block, which contains a bonus disc of unreleased tracks, made its way into stores Feb. 6. Although the album has been import-only for some time, it has already been making some waves in the United States.\nDJs on the club circuit, including Diplo, have been using "Young Folks" in their sets for some time now and it's no wonder. While all of the songs have their allure, "Young Folks" has all the markings of a potential break-out single. The song comes complete with infectious whistling, a gentle thumping bass line and serene vocals that pile on top of a rhythmic base composed of a slick drum beat, bongos and other auxiliary percussion. Even though "Young Folks" is a strong tune, the rest of the album is just as absorbing.\nWhat keeps the album fresh as a whole is the variation in instrumentation. No tracks on the album utilize the same set of instruments or vocalists. This constant addition and subtraction of elements helps give each song its own distinct feeling while always retaining some degree of continuity between them. The album also succeeds while tackling the subject of love in the lyrical content. Rather than coming off as trite or corny, the lyrics work well with the musical backdrop and create a very sincere and genuine atmosphere.\nWriter's Block is an album poised to garner a great deal of attention from American media outlets and music fans. It stands as a testament to the quality of the music making its way across the Atlantic and into our stereos.