CD of The Week

Peter Bjorn and John make the number three look and sound good and with the release of their sixth studio album Gimme Some, they’re giving us double the triple fun. They decided to make a basic guitar, drums and bass record with no fancy overdub or excessive production like we heard on 2009’s Living Thing. They recruited an outside producer for the first time, Per Sunding, who has played in the trio, Eggstone, for years — a band that PB&J grew up idolizing. They were heavily influenced by punk rock on this one, which fits in perfectly with their goal to make an album that conveys the same high level energy as their shows.

It really is an enhancement on their earlier sound (think Falling Out and Writer’s Block), but with less feathery pop, like “Young Folks.” “Dig a Little Deeper” brings you some good ol’ slidin’ rock guitar and a grooving drum beat that’ll get your head bobbing. The punk vibe is strongest in “Black Book,” which you would almost not even recognize as being theirs at first. It rolls right along into “Cool Off,” which starts with the exact same beat as “I Know You Don’t Love Me,” the last song, but the two are definitely favorites and stand out on their own. The former has the Ramones all wrapped up in its beat and shout. “Second Chance” actually got a second chance with me after it initially failed to impress me…mostly because I just couldn’t get the Oohs and alluring beat out of my head (typical with these three). A real gem on this album is “May Seem Macabre,” and like its title the lyrics may seem that way, but there is a certain beauty to its meaning (true love, death, and the afterlife).

Complete with infectious melodies and their signature catchy hooks, this perky pop-goes- punk album will have you singing merrily along, rather unfazed by the occasional gloom of the lyrics. Yes, you can tell from the charge surging forth on this album that they are totally revved up and ready to rock our socks off on their upcoming tour. Fortunately, we don’t have to wait too long, because they’ll be at The TLA on May 1st.