Fantastic album. Slightly darker than the 2006 release "Writer's Block", and definitely a grower. Great songs, including the wonderful "Teen love", "It beats me every time", and "Tailormade". Special mention to the bittersweet "All those expectations" and to the Elvis Costello-esque "Big black coffin", probably the most beautiful tune these guys ever written. Buy this album!
I am absolutely enthralled with Peter Bjorn & John's current album, "Writer's Block", so far the best album of 2007 for me personally. This lead me to seek out the band's earlier output. This album, released in 2005, is the first US release, but actually the second album of the band (they released a debut album back home in Sweden in 2002).
"Falling Out" (10 tracks, 40 min.) starts off with one of the best tracks (and lead-off single) "Far Away, By My Side", which barrels on through you, and its harmonies at times remind me of early Beatles. "It Beats Me Every Time" (another single) is in the same vein. "Big Black Coffin" is a sad reflection on a failed relationship, with great lyrics like "But it's all clear and bright now/from the statements to the lies/from the big black coffin/to the black under your eyes". "Teen Love" (another single) is a cover of the Concretes' song, and sounds great. "Tailormade" is another yearner for better days, as the chuorus goes "Well I hate to be a downer/but this happens to be the truth/I got lost when you found her/bring me back my youth", wow...
This is a good (but not great) album, and you can tell that with this album the guys would eventually be on their way to yet bigger and better things with "Writer's Way", which is in fact a great album, and then some. Seeing Peter Bjorn & John live at Coachella a few months ago was without a doubt one of THE highlights of the festival. Check them out!
Not even close to the quality of their album Writer's block, but probably ok for huge PBJ fans.
