Things change

After the success of Peter Bjorn and John’s 2006 album “Writer’s Block” and its smash hit “Young Folks,” the Swedish trio embarked on several projects.

They released an instrumental album and backed up Kanye West on a European tour. Member Peter Moren released a solo album and produced fellow Swede Lykke Li’s “Youth Novels.”

Now the band returns with “Living Thing,” a minimalist experimental album that takes influence from their various projects with extremely mixed results.

The album has the cold electro-pop sound of their collaborator Kanye West’s “808’s & Heartbreak” and Li’s “Youth Novels.”

“Living Thing” features little to no guitars but almost solely percussion, simplifying the music and bringing forth the band’s vocals. This style proves very hit-or-miss throughout the album, as some of the lyrics and songs are simply too simple.

While PB&J have always had relatively simple and naive lyrics, they came off as charming and effective in the past; this is not always true on “Living Thing.” “Lay It Down” sounds like George Michael trying to relieve some angst, and “Blue Period Picasso” proves somewhat silly using a strange painting metaphor for love. Other tracks like opener “The Feeling” and “I’m Losing My Mind” have little to offer.
Some of “Living Thing”’s tracks, however, are among the trio’s best.

“It Don’t Move Me” sounds like it could have been a great 1980s pop hit and “Just The Past” finds Moren’s warm vocals bleeding wonderfully through a sonic wasteland.
The title track instills Afro-pop to be the most feel-good track on the album. “Stay This Way” is truly the album’s diamond in the rough, as it lacks the excitement of some of the other tracks, but makes up for it with its delicate beauty.

While “Living Thing” definitely serves as a disappointment, there are definitely songs here worth hearing.