Joyous, upbeat and traditional pop.
In this crazy mad-dash world of myspace and youtube it seems as though bands are appearing from nowhere and the next minute are headlining festivals. The days of building a fanbase and creating a back-catalogue of hidden gems appear to be over but as always with music, one or two things slip through that manage to buck the trend.
For instance, Gossip are currently basking in a bit of overnight success, which isn't bad considering they are on their third album and 'Standing in the way of control', is now facing its third release. Third times a charm or three is the magic number, either way; there remains the opportunity for fans to have the pleasure of finding a new band to love and to have a history to delve into and immerse themselves further.
Although not matching Gossip in over ground stakes, Peter Bjorn and John caught a few hearts and ears last year with 'Writer's Block', with the delightful 'Young Folk' coming second in the NMEs song of the year category. Fans who swooned to that album should be interested to know that the first UK release of their debut album is about to occur and the building blocks of their current success were in place right from the start.
Opener 'I Don't Know What I Want Us To Do' starts with a tempo so high that even The Zutons would think twice about kicking off from there but with the pace lifted, the main body of the song swings like a 60s surf hit covered by Teenage Fanclub, rarely pausing for breath and conveying the giddiness of youth that we all once shared.
With the album's original ten tracks augmented with a few B-sides of the time, there's even a reason for the early adopters to be interested by this release but on the whole, it's aimed at introducing the early material to the new fanbase and there's no real shame in that. Especially not when although the production values may not be as crisp and clean as their latest effort, the energy and good vibes seep from all over this album.
It's interesting to note in the linear notes written by the band that on release, they were angered by the Swedish press for making comparison to The Beatles or Elvis Costello but at times, it's hard to deny the feel of the songs, and if truth be told, it's meant as a compliment.
The songs have a classic feel, the quality of the mix adds a warmth to the songs, evoking the acoustic tracks on 'The White Album' and when the album kicks into life with a sneer and a jaggy guitar, it screams punk but with some intelligent lyrics and restrained melody, which explains the Costello reference. However, in marrying these types of sound it should be reasoned that Peter Bjorn and John did create their own brand of music, albeit one that takes like a magpie from musical past.
Even the collection of B-sides brim with life, with 'Don't Be Skew' having the melodic intervention of a Beach Boys ballad but with a strange backing rhythm pushing it on.
Overall, it's a class album and its late release in the UK should be seen as a reason to be enjoyed and bask in the classic songwriting rather than be chastised for the commercial side of it. There's no reason for this album to be overlooked so go and get it.