The Importance of being Earnest: Peter, Bjorn, and John
The Importance of being Earnest: Peter, Bjorn, and John
Music Review

Living Thing (2009)

EW's GRADE
B

Details Release Date: Mar 31, 2009; Lead Performance: Peter Bjorn and John; Genre: Indie Rock

The trio best known for 2006's ubiquitous anthem ''Young Folks'' remains shamelessly earnest adorable. It may rot your teeth, but it's an aesthetic they embrace without irony: Though the title track jacks its chorus from ELO's 1976 symphonic-cheese classic ''Livin' Thing,'' the music is pure featherweight, percussion-driven synth-pop. That shtick eventually wears thin on Living Thing, but on the stomping, squiggly ''Nothing to Worry About,'' it kills. B

Download This: Listen to the song ''Nothing to Worry About'' on MySpace.com

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Originally posted Mar 25, 2009 Published in issue #1041 Apr 03, 2009 Order article reprints

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