Entertainment
The Making of WRITER'S BLOCK by Peter Bjorn and John - feat. Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson
In this episode of Life of the Record, Peter Bjorn and John members Peter Morén, Björn Yttling, and John Eriksson discuss the creation of their iconic album, Writer's Block. They reflect on the...
The Making of WRITER'S BLOCK by Peter Bjorn and John - feat. Peter Morén, Björn Yttling and John Eriksson
Entertainment •
0:00 / 0:00
Interactive Transcript
spk_0
You're listening to Life of the Record.
spk_0
Classic albums told by the people who made them.
spk_0
My name is Dan Nordheim.
spk_0
Peter Bjorn and John formed in Stockholm, Sweden in 1999 by Peter Moran, Bjorn Yitling,
spk_0
and John Erickson.
spk_0
Moran and Yitling had been playing together since high school and after moving to Stockholm
spk_0
they connected with Erickson.
spk_0
In 2001 they self-released an EP called Forbidden Courts.
spk_0
In 2002 their self-titled album was released on the Swedish label Beat That Records.
spk_0
For their second album they moved to the Plan Economy label and released Falling Out
spk_0
in 2004.
spk_0
At this point they thought about ending the band but decided to make one more album and
spk_0
recorded themselves with Yitling producing.
spk_0
Writer's block was eventually released in 2006.
spk_0
In this episode Peter Moran, Bjorn Yitling, and John Erickson reflect on how the album
spk_0
came together.
spk_0
This is the Making Of Writer's block.
spk_0
Hello, this is Peter Moran from Peter Bjorn and John and life of the
spk_0
Reckord and we're talking about our album Writer's block.
spk_0
We released two records, Peter Bjorn and John in 2002 and Falling Out in 2004.
spk_0
Nothing much happened.
spk_0
We mainly played some small student shows in Sweden and one show in London and we had
spk_0
a song in Swedish Radio but it was really kind of lukewarm reception.
spk_0
We figured out that let's make one more record and then throw in the towel if nothing happens.
spk_0
That was the plan going into what became Writer's block that we were going to make one more
spk_0
record and then give up if nothing would happen with it.
spk_0
It was a different mindset and I think because of that we didn't think about the live performances
spk_0
maybe because we thought about breaking up the band so it was more about making a statement of a record.
spk_0
When I was 15, 16 I moved to a town called Vesteros because there was a music high school
spk_0
sort of thing there and it wasn't anything closer to where I grew up.
spk_0
I grew up in a small village in the middle of nowhere in the middle of Sweden and sort of
spk_0
by coincidence Bjorn was at that school too and at that school it was early to mid-90s
spk_0
long time ago.
spk_0
Most of the students were into playing classical music, maybe heavy metal, fusion, jazz,
spk_0
stuff like that.
spk_0
I was never into any of that.
spk_0
I was mainly doing what I'm doing now, like singer, songwriter stuff.
spk_0
I just got into Indy Rock at that point sort of that scene and Bjorn kind of saw this in me
spk_0
because the city he comes from who left you, they had sort of like an Indy Rock scene at that point.
spk_0
So he was kind of aware of what I was into and he kind of asked me straight out if I wanted to start a pop band
spk_0
as we called it then in Sweden.
spk_0
Hi, this is Bjorn from Peter Bjorn John and also I produced a record because I was producing stuff
spk_0
at the time and I played bass and sing some songs too.
spk_0
I went to sort of music high school in 1990, I started and then there was not a lot of people
spk_0
that liked guitar rock music and stone roses and that sort of stuff.
spk_0
I guess it was only me but then Peter started you know also so he was you know a little bit
spk_0
two years younger than me and I realized he liked the same sort of stuff like Elvis Costello and
spk_0
you know like Powerpop and all the stuff so we just started like playing two electric guitars
spk_0
and with a drum machine in our room you know that was the whole start of it.
spk_0
And then me and Peter was playing a lot and then we moved both of us moved to Stockholm because
spk_0
it seemed like the normal thing to do in Sweden because that's where all the music makers are in
spk_0
Sweden and the industry. So we tried to form a band I guess and looking for some drummers.
spk_0
We auditioned quite a few different drummers and also put up you know in music stores as you did
spk_0
back in those days like drummer wanted and of course most of those people that turned up
spk_0
didn't really fit but the funny thing with John was that he he's also from the North of Sweden
spk_0
kind of even further up than Bjorn and he was like sort of a wonder kind of percussion and drums.
spk_0
So he came to Stockholm earlier than us and at that point he played like in a symphony orchestra
spk_0
like in the percussion section but we didn't really know that he played drums. We only 40 played
spk_0
marimba and stuff but then he started coming to we saw him at like Sabadu shows or Aliot Smitshoes
spk_0
you know shows we went to we said okay John is he's into this sort of music like Lofi stuff
spk_0
and stuff we listen to so so we finally asked him. We didn't really like thank he would be a drummer
spk_0
you know but after a while it was like let's ask him you know like if he can maybe he can drum
spk_0
you know he's like long shot and then he was just playing so beautifully and and great drums so
spk_0
we clicked right away with him. My name is John Erickson and I'm the drummer and
spk_0
songwriter in Peter Bjorn Jona. At that time I was working in a percussion ensemble and
spk_0
when I joined Peter and Bjorn with their music project it was like the first time I played the drums
spk_0
that kind of music I used to be a heavy metal guy and I played a lot of jazz and stuff like that
spk_0
when I was a kid but this was the first proper band I was playing in so there was something new for me.
spk_0
We put out two records in Sweden and the first one was in a small label and the second one was
spk_0
on our even smaller label and the guy that ran the label sort of disappeared when we were supposed
spk_0
to put it out so we had to do everything ourselves and that was kind of taking its toll so we figured
spk_0
like we can't fight for this band no more. For this album we didn't have any pressure at all
spk_0
because we made two albums nobody cared and we sort of had nothing to lose so I guess that's
spk_0
also the part of the naivety of it and the playfulness and the no pressureness because we did what we
spk_0
wanted to do at that point we didn't have any record label and just inspiration I think.
spk_0
So the whole idea around the record I think was kind of to build an atmosphere around the songs
spk_0
and kind of some people have says that it's sort of like a concept album we didn't think about it
spk_0
like that but we did want it to have feel like a coherent piece of plastic or CD or whatever
spk_0
there's something that holds together from cover to songs and presentation and Bjorn Studio was
spk_0
really close to where I lived and it was really hot summer in 2005 when we recorded this album so
spk_0
there's a lot of like walking around taking a swim because there's water everywhere in Stockholm
spk_0
taking a swim having a nice cream recording some songs writing some songs so it's kind of really
spk_0
shielded out nice atmosphere so we were thinking about like that came from me like a palm writer's
spk_0
block but we don't have writer's block we have so many songs we are striding and writing but we
spk_0
kind of living in this block
spk_0
the first two records we did partly record especially the second record we did recording like a proper
spk_0
studio and Pelagunna felt studio who is famous for producing the hives and they were like
spk_0
professionally recorded but for this third record we had no budget whatsoever and Bjorn had
spk_0
space that wasn't built for recording it was just like a space he had with different instruments
spk_0
that we had assembled it was a drum kit that Bjorn found in a trash what we call it supermanes
spk_0
Sweden yeah where you throw all the garbage from your apartment building and so everything was
spk_0
very much do it yourself we had like no money you know like nothing so we started recording at
spk_0
my place again which was more like a studio I didn't live in the studio now I had a like a separate room
spk_0
space so we went there and I figured if we can't record on tape it's gonna suck so if we record
spk_0
everything through a tape machine you know echo you know like tape echo then it's gonna be a
spk_0
little bit on tape anyway so we hooked up the tape space echo and ran everything parallel through the
spk_0
echo and that was sort of like a little it became a sound you know because we put reverbs on more
spk_0
stuff that anyone would have if they were just like doing it normal for the first time we had like
spk_0
more band meetings and talked about the recording more and started to having dogmas and ideas around
spk_0
the recording but for this one we kind of started talking more about drum patterns and the idea that
spk_0
if you have one sound on one song to tie the whole thing together you have to try if you're looking for
spk_0
a sound for another song you have to try the sounds you already used to kind of give like an
spk_0
overall feeling of the record sometimes it was like you know making a synth sound that sounds like a
spk_0
whistle what's the point of that just like band music took a mic and like make sort of like sirens
spk_0
and stuff like that and I think that might have been an idea that we had way before young folks too so
spk_0
we had the whistle was like sort of like circling around on multiple songs for sure the way the drums
spk_0
are so minimal was kind of both an aesthetic choice that we said that we didn't want any symbols
spk_0
maybe not even high-hat because a lot of albums are too filled with that kind of
spk_0
frequency but also it was because Bjorn I think he only had one or two mics so we couldn't have too
spk_0
many drums so it was a room mic and some one mic between the snare and the kick so the setup was
spk_0
also very minimal we weren't allowed to use symbols so John would have like a pattern with
spk_0
thoms and and snares and stuff and then we would overdub if we wanted symbols or percussion we
spk_0
would overdub that so that was kind of one and the pattern of the drums should follow through the
spk_0
whole song it was more like almost like sampling yourself having a pattern throughout the song
spk_0
and for percussion we also used a lot of we used our own bodies we were hitting like our
spk_0
stomachs we were stomping on concrete floors with the boots and you know doing hitting your
spk_0
cheeks and there's also a lot of acoustic sounds like a lot of nylon string guitar which we hadn't
spk_0
used before really and a lot of acoustic piano but everything is like gone through maybe a bit distorted
spk_0
and so we kind of had to fuck up the sounds a bit to make it cool and listenable and that's kind
spk_0
of the sound of the record. So when we started working on Riders block we were into ESG a lot and also
spk_0
I think this was a very important inspiration the Langley school music project there was a couple
spk_0
of albums being made by this Canadian music teacher account femoris name but he put together this
spk_0
school orchestra in elementary school so kids between I guess six or up to 10-11 years old playing
spk_0
covers on famous rock and pop songs and the sound of that album is so fantastic I mean you can hear
spk_0
the kids giving all their heart and also maybe a bit filled with shame or something you know in
spk_0
Sweden we have this music school thing so I think we felt really close to that vibe you know you
spk_0
play as a kid something that's a bit uncomfortable but you do it and you're maybe not the best musician
spk_0
because your music teacher just tells you to do this and do that and that sound was something we
spk_0
wanted to recreate on Riders block this kind of naive almost playful not knowing what you're doing
spk_0
style of playing so I tried to play drums like it was the first time like my music teacher
spk_0
has just taught me this cool funky jazz rock beat and we played guitar and piano with one finger at
spk_0
the time just trying to be kids naive not knowing what we're doing but I think that was also kind of
spk_0
natural and organic because if was the first time I wrote a pop song they even forced me to
spk_0
write a couple of songs so it was first time I wrote pop lyric and first time Bjorn sort of produced
spk_0
it on his own and he learned some about the compressor didn't know what that was I remember he was
spk_0
quite new to a lot of technical stuff and Peter was it was the first time he wrote a song without
spk_0
20 chords and it's so we were sort of beginners as well as trying to do this as a study
spk_0
we have to disagree I love more of now I cry more of now
spk_0
I am more
spk_0
obvious of my fiction the first proper song on the record was one of the songs I brought in and it's
spk_0
kind of a very personal song and the funny thing was at this point as we were thinking about
spk_0
breaking up the band I was kind of toying with an idea of you know yeah I have all these songs I
spk_0
should make a solo record which I eventually done a number of them but and I thought I was always
spk_0
like going for more like singer song writery folk riffing something that I could like
spk_0
present with just a guitar like a troubadour so this song had sort of that almost like a Dylan vibe
spk_0
and at first the other guys didn't want it on the record they don't remember this but they
spk_0
thought it didn't fit in like sort and I can kind of see that but I fought for it and now of course
spk_0
I'm really happy it's there and it's the only place it could go would be in the beginning
spk_0
objects of my fiction I remember Peter playing it on his guitar and sound is so good just him playing
spk_0
that rhythm and him singing along to it it felt like this sharp song this kind of
spk_0
French guy walking around in a village playing his song to his relatives
spk_0
there he was to keep that natural atmosphere of it and then also that affected maybe I don't
spk_0
can't remember what song we recorded first but but on the album we sort of kept that my own
spk_0
stringed guitar on a lot of songs and then added like the whistling I think there's whistling on
spk_0
this tune as well a very simple drum beat on a snare drum almost like yeah childy's minimalistic
spk_0
and yeah so it's very stripped down but it's a little effects on it what we brought to it because
spk_0
it had this like shuffling acoustic guitar thing and we brought like some shoegase textures to it
spk_0
like with some noisy synths and guitars and I'm not even sure what instrument they are but
spk_0
yeah a bit noisy here and also with the snare with the march fingers so it's kind of melding like a
spk_0
folk sensibility with almost like a shoegase thing which is also our roots of course but on
spk_0
obvious on infection we put like white noise on those like sections where there's like you know
spk_0
full on I just like put that on like and of course some extra electric guitar I think it's on
spk_0
there too but it's probably like acoustic to begin with obvious my fiction is a song about you
spk_0
looking back and it's kind of funny when I go through the verses there and like looking back
spk_0
it's looking back at the period when me and Bjorn met like the high school period and then maybe
spk_0
looking back to when we moved to Stockholm and then seeing where you are now and it's kind of yeah
spk_0
this is this is better and you kind of learn things about yourself now of course now 20 years later
spk_0
you know that you're still developing you're still you're still kind of learning things and you weren't
spk_0
finished then at all but but it still rings true it's one of my favorites and it's nice because you
spk_0
when you play it live there's always like people coming up and like I had that in my friends funeral
spk_0
and and that song helped me through so much and it's interesting when you write something that is
spk_0
essentially about your own life and and then it really rings true for a lot of people
spk_0
yes i'm gonna give if you try and the question is what's i for a life
spk_0
and then i now
spk_0
i have to disagree i left more up now i cry more up now
spk_0
oh
spk_0
we were all like uh 28 29 so it's kind of uh crossroads and kind of making decisions and probably
spk_0
that's why we thought about giving up the band as well like you know cut your hair and get a job
spk_0
basically and i started in this period i went back to university actually after having
spk_0
had a lot of different jobs and and played in other bands and stuff and i was studying to become
spk_0
a librarian or an information scientist as they call it but obviously that i didn't finish my
spk_0
degree because something came in the way
spk_0
Yeah the opening feel of young folks
spk_0
It's kind of a homage and a cartoonish, childish version of the intro for Robot Rock by
spk_0
Draft Punk, because that drum intro was extremely cool, we thought.
spk_0
We tried to recreate that, or I tried to do something similar, but at the same time,
spk_0
Dorky and stupid, so we wanted it to start like that.
spk_0
We never tried the drums in the rehearsal space before, we did it just in the studio as we recorded it.
spk_0
So that was me and John, like bass and drums, and we tried to get the good drum sound going,
spk_0
and the bass was just like playing at the same time, I guess.
spk_0
Like we didn't have like no one sang at the same time, or it was just like bass and drums.
spk_0
So we got that cool sound down, great drum sound.
spk_0
Young folks was more of a group collaboration. Bjorn had this piano, jassie piece, and he brought
spk_0
that to us, and then him and John kind of toyed around with it in the studio, just with a bass drum thing,
spk_0
like trying to make it almost like a James Brown, like a funky track.
spk_0
And that was also most like different with that song, because there's almost no guitar at all,
spk_0
and we were sort of a guitar band.
spk_0
We started with the beat, trying to get that right, and as I said we were inspired by
spk_0
Langley School of Music and ESG, the way ESG played like James Brown beat, but with with
spk_0
Quirkiness, and that was the vibe we wanted to create. So I think we started with the drums
spk_0
and the beat, and added a lot of percussion I was working, as I said on this percussion ensemble.
spk_0
So we had access to a lot of stuff like tubular bells and thunder plates and bongos, of course,
spk_0
chakers and so, and then the song started growing from that,
spk_0
your work with the bass line a lot.
spk_0
And I think the thing with the whistling was that Bjorn had this melody, and
spk_0
we just wanted to get the idea of the melody down, because we didn't have a lyric or anything.
spk_0
And that's why he whistled. And because maybe it was a whistle on other songs, it stayed,
spk_0
but we were talking about replacing it with something else.
spk_0
So it was just an instrumental track. It was whistling bass and drums, that was the whole thing.
spk_0
I remember some discussion that first was supposed to be a bit like losing my edge with LCD sound system,
spk_0
something about being a bit in the middle of being young and old, trying to figure out what is cool.
spk_0
But I think that IBs was scrapped and then was decided to make this
spk_0
fair tale of New York duet thing out of it.
spk_0
We had a little idea for the verse, was sort of like, if you know something about not being
spk_0
with the cool kids or something, I don't know, we can't remember. It was sort of like an outside
spk_0
perspective. But when we decided it was going to be a duet, we had to alter the verse a little bit,
spk_0
and also like, who's going to sing when? And like, she sings that, and you come back with a phrase,
spk_0
you know, and then you all sing on the chorus and that stuff. So it was more about a
spk_0
the pokes sort of duet song. And then me and Bjorn sat down and talked about like, we never
spk_0
done a duet. And since everything is up in the air and and John is singing Bjorn is singing,
spk_0
we're trying all sorts of things. Why not duet? And I don't know, I always liked duets and kind of
spk_0
trying to write the lyric that is sort of like a dialogue in a film. And so we wrote the lyric
spk_0
for it to be a duet. And it's kind of a similar, even though this is more of a written song,
spk_0
it's not like a personal, like objects where I just kind of fought about my own life. This is more
spk_0
something where you sit at a table and write a lyric. But it's it's set in the same period.
spk_0
And that's a big misunderstanding of a lot of people because of the cartoon and the small kids
spk_0
in the video and the name, young folks. But it's written from the perspective of as we talked about
spk_0
people soon fitting 30 and maybe gone through a couple of relationships and feeling a bit
spk_0
burnt out on love and then meeting someone new in a bar and started talking and kind of connecting.
spk_0
And maybe this could be something, maybe it's worth giving it a try. But as Bjorn would tell you,
spk_0
like the chorus that we don't care about the young, that was just something to begin with,
spk_0
didn't really mean anything, but something he sang. So in the verses I had to make sense of it and
spk_0
build the story. And then bringing in a female voice. I just remember the discussions about who
spk_0
will be the other voice. I think we had this idea that Nina Parson from the Cardinals was supposed
spk_0
to sing it. But Bjorn had forgotten her phone number. He thought he had it, but he lost it so
spk_0
we couldn't call her. But then we had played a lot with a band called The Concretes and the
spk_0
lead singer in that Swedish indie group was Victoria Beisman and we have also did a cover of
spk_0
one of their songs, Teen Love on the album before this. So it was kind of really natural to ask Victoria.
spk_0
We liked hanging out with The Concretes and done some tours together and she fitted so perfectly
spk_0
into this song and into this naivety, this childish vibe that we wanted to create for this
spk_0
Langley School music project aesthetic. So it was just the best coincidence ever.
spk_0
It just felt natural to invite her because she was always around and also her voice and my voice
spk_0
are so different. So it's kind of like a weird, it felt like the natural thing.
spk_0
We just loved her voice so I mean it was just like a no-brainer get her in there.
spk_0
When Victoria was supposed to sing it we had to raise the key couple of steps and I think
spk_0
that's why the whistling also sounds pretty cool because it's pitched up and it's unnatural.
spk_0
So I recorded the whole song and then so we didn't record it at the same time. It's like
spk_0
I think Bjorn said they recorded it on mid-Summer Eve or something but yeah we had to pitch the whole
spk_0
thing and then I had to record her part. I had to record my part again and I mean that's fine.
spk_0
The only weird thing was that the whistling became pitched as well so made that it was really
spk_0
hard to do live for a male but I had to practice a lot and now I'm okay.
spk_0
When we played Red's block here in Stockholm a month ago we met with the guy that I shared
spk_0
the studio with and he was he mixed young folks and he said when we mixed young folks
spk_0
we went to pedal a studio we couldn't afford it for recording but we afforded it for mix and we
spk_0
went to the studio and then realized that the bass sound was not good enough because the bass was
spk_0
we had to pitch the whole song like a minor third or something and the bass would not sound good
spk_0
like when we pitched it in the computer. I mean so I had to go back from the studio and just
spk_0
take the bass and record the bass again in the new key and go back take it back to the studio and
spk_0
put it while they were mixing you know he told me and I remember that now but I didn't it was kind
spk_0
of funny you know because bass is kind of tricky to to pitch in the computer it sort of gets a lot
spk_0
weird noises that you don't like so still but at that time you sounded horrible I guess.
spk_0
Young folks was definitely like the last batch of songs which is not unusual to get like the single
spk_0
later in the process I think that's probably 50% of the records I made that's what happens.
spk_0
I can tell there's something going on I assume to disappear
spk_0
everyone is leaving I'm still with you
spk_0
it doesn't matter what we do when we are going to
spk_0
we can stick around and see this might do.
spk_0
Well the first time we played young folks publicly was at this bar that we attended at that time
spk_0
in Stockholm and me and Peter was DJing and we put on this burnt CD or with young folks I think it
spk_0
was kind of ready maybe it was not mixed or something but and we put it on and I think five,
spk_0
six maybe more persons came up to the DJ booth and what song is this and that rarely happens
spk_0
but for our own song that like it felt that it resonated like that night with so many people just
spk_0
playing it for the first time so I guess that was a kind of a a-ha moment.
spk_0
We put young folks the song up on MySpace and started getting a reactions there and that's kind of
spk_0
now thinking of MySpace in 2025 it's like a graveyard I haven't been there for I don't know when
spk_0
but back then it was kind of we got a lot of like a lot of people like the song there when it
spk_0
had no label nothing. It started this journey it was like seeing this baby bird just lifting and
spk_0
traveling around and it was like uncontrollable and at some point it didn't feel like it was
spk_0
something connected to us almost it just lived its own life and we heard like rumors that people
spk_0
stood up at a cafe in Portland dancing when the song came on the radio and I mean it was like
spk_0
weird rumors that reached us in Sweden. We were surprised that people in Sweden cared about it at
spk_0
all like it went up on the little not like super much on the charge but like on the radio it was
spk_0
played on the radio we had to go like to a big festival with it was on a big festival and we went
spk_0
to like a big DJ party and but the DJ played young folks everybody went nuts and like you know I
spk_0
was like crowd surf I don't know they just put me up in the air like I was crowd surf I'm like I
spk_0
fell down with my head into the concrete but I was like that was like okay people liked this song
spk_0
it was like even people that I like like this song it's like everybody likes this song this is
spk_0
going nuts you know like there was a there was an interesting moment for sure there was a summer
spk_0
of 2006. The way that young folks blew up over the course of a year basically or less it was a
spk_0
shock to the system we didn't expect anything when they started playing it a lot in Sweden that was
spk_0
kind of oh wow and then it came to Ireland and UK Australia, Japan and then we finally played in
spk_0
New York our first ever show in the States the first thing we did was the Conan the Brian TV show
spk_0
so we didn't even have play like a regular show we went straight to TV because there was a lot of hype
spk_0
and I think we sold records on import and stuff it was also the when all the blogs started coming
spk_0
so it was like a first like the Myspace thing but then all the music blogs was kind of like a new
spk_0
milieu like a new environment for launching music not as dependent on on major labels more like a
spk_0
word of mouth thing it was a couple of years there were just like it's sort of like a wilderness
spk_0
period before the record labels took hold again and we kind of sneak in between with our weird
spk_0
song which shouldn't be hit because it's too long and the intro goes on forever and it's you know
spk_0
but I think it took a little while until we understand that it was such a big song now I can
spk_0
totally understand it because I compared to a lot of stuff other stuff you hear it's very very very
spk_0
so
spk_0
talking about it
spk_0
After touring almost two years maybe on it, maybe you were a bit tired of it just playing
spk_0
it on radio stations and live every night.
spk_0
But still it's weird sound because you never really get tired of it.
spk_0
And when I hear it now it still sounds so special with this quirkiness that it has and
spk_0
combined with this beautiful love duet and the combination of Peter and Victoria's voices and the arrangements.
spk_0
I mean it's a song that I don't think you get tired of really.
spk_0
It's weird saying it but it feels like that.
spk_0
I've been really burnt out on young folks in periods especially I think when we were like releasing the record,
spk_0
the proper pop follow-up, leaving thing and everyone was still talking about young folks
spk_0
and I got a bit pissed off there for a while.
spk_0
But now I mean it's been so long and the nice thing as we've been doing this past month,
spk_0
we've been playing the whole album and when you put it into context of the album I kind of like it more.
spk_0
But of course it is a weird thing when you have a song that is so big that a lot of people know it,
spk_0
like most people know it, but not most people know who we are or what the band are or what the rest of the nine albums are.
spk_0
You know, we've done so much music so I think that disconnect between the song and the band is kind of,
spk_0
I mean sometimes you wish that maybe that would have connected a bit more.
spk_0
But I mean that's just, we're a weird, independent and that's when we've tried to make like more deliberately commercial music that doesn't really work.
spk_0
So I think yeah the reason this connects is just the whole album connects because we were relaxed.
spk_0
We were like kind of natural and relaxed and we are just trying out things and we didn't overthink things.
spk_0
And I think that's why the album works and some of our, not definitely not all of our stuff that came after,
spk_0
but some of them you can feel the pressure of having had a hit.
spk_0
And you start to like think too much and and also you think about, because that's the special thing when you have,
spk_0
when you're a trio and all people are writing and we all have different tastes,
spk_0
you start to think about okay should I write the song that the other guys we like or should I do something I like?
spk_0
You know, so you kind of start to think too much.
spk_0
It's still a huge song for a lot of people and because it's so different too.
spk_0
So I think it's just like it's got a great beat and it sounds cool and it's got a you know honest, you know,
spk_0
lyric and people just, I don't know it's just one of those songs.
spk_0
So if we would have made two of them, there would have been absurd I think.
spk_0
I think that one's enough.
spk_0
And Amsterdam is just like the lyric is pretty straightforward.
spk_0
My girlfriend went to Amsterdam for four or five days and it was sort of boring.
spk_0
So I wrote that song, you know, when she was there.
spk_0
So and that's a song that I think 2005 there was a lot of songs written for me because I was up north when she was in Amsterdam.
spk_0
I was up north and I wrote like all these songs, maybe like I know 80 songs or something.
spk_0
I was sitting watching, must have been 2005 or 2004 because I was watching the European Championship in football soccer.
spk_0
And on and I had the TV on like no volume I was just strumming the guitar and writing songs and recording them on a mini disc.
spk_0
And Greece won and was watched every game like the whole tournament.
spk_0
So I think I came out with like so many songs that I used for like so many records.
spk_0
So it could have been even like 2004.
spk_0
But that song definitely is from that and maybe also the role of the credits probably from that batch too.
spk_0
And also some songs on the living thing is from that batch as well.
spk_0
So that was a good summer for me.
spk_0
Maybe went to Amsterdam, she put her little money to traveling, now it's slow, slow, slow, slow.
spk_0
Maybe went to Amsterdam for five days but it became a lot slower, slow, slow, slow.
spk_0
And I was heading up north to a place that I know eating well, sleeping well, but still I was awake, way of lying.
spk_0
Amsterdam was tucking my mind.
spk_0
Amsterdam was sort of one of the songs that really captures the vibe and the sound of the recording block like the beat sample like drum beat and the beat wonky, wobbly tempo.
spk_0
And the simpleness of the one note at the time on the piano and riff on guitar and bass.
spk_0
So it was sort of that kind of song that really set the aesthetics for the album I think.
spk_0
The demo for Amsterdam was kind of like a heavy, I was a bit chugacy too, it sounded completely different.
spk_0
But I think we were kind of talking about making things more sparse and open and working a lot with bass and drums and percussion.
spk_0
I had a totally different demo for that, it was more like my bloody Valentine or something.
spk_0
And then we like rehearsed into like it came to be like more like we have it.
spk_0
I think the beat is inspired by Peter Gabriel's song that I really liked on his fourth solo album.
spk_0
I think it was Phil Collins played it so it's a bit inspired by that.
spk_0
The Shakespeare is sort of very sloppy and almost out of beat.
spk_0
And then I was really into John Kale's solo records at that point.
spk_0
And there's a song called Baracuda on Fear, which I listened to and I remember I listened to that and went to the studio and kind of had that in my mind.
spk_0
And I played the bass on this.
spk_0
So I don't know, it was something about that dude, dude, I think sort of came from that mixture of influences and that distorted piano.
spk_0
So it's kind of a weird mix of noises.
spk_0
Also I think it's the marching boots on the concrete floor again.
spk_0
So yeah, it's really nice.
spk_0
And it's kind of like almost like a narcotic.
spk_0
Is that the word or like very very slow?
spk_0
It's like a lazy beat.
spk_0
It's so kind of a natural vibe.
spk_0
Sometimes you'll get that to be alone.
spk_0
Baby, when two laps today she pulled a little money to traveling night so slow, slow, slow.
spk_0
I guess that's another thing too.
spk_0
Like I mentioned I played the bass, that's another thing.
spk_0
We're kind of throwing instruments around and like playing maybe not your first instrument.
spk_0
I think I played piano on a song too.
spk_0
And we continued doing that on other records afterwards.
spk_0
Like everyone came sort of play.
spk_0
Like John plays quite a lot of electric guitar, I think, on a couple of songs.
spk_0
If you have an idea, it's better to let the person who has the idea play it rather than like teaching it to people.
spk_0
First, it was mainly Peter, right in songs.
spk_0
And maybe on the first record I did some songs too.
spk_0
And maybe Peter was encouraging him to come with songs too.
spk_0
And also like singing on them because he sings on some, I sing on some songs.
spk_0
So it's like I did on like the previous records I sang like on one, you know, like the occasional like wringo tune or something like that.
spk_0
So just to get a different flavor.
spk_0
You weren't had sung a couple of songs on earlier records.
spk_0
But for this record we kind of talked about like, yeah, let's have John sing some parts.
spk_0
And there are also things where maybe two people sing one section.
spk_0
And then another people sing another section.
spk_0
So it's kind of mixing up the voices a bit more, which is nice on an album.
spk_0
I mean, to this day, I guess I'm the lead singer sort of.
spk_0
But it's just nice, especially when you're listening to record, it's nice to have different voices and have like the wringo song and the George song.
spk_0
I don't know what the intention for asking me to write songs and sing.
spk_0
Maybe it was like this, nothing to lose.
spk_0
I guess feeling when making the album, we could do anything and you didn't have to be good or bad or into or it was very open.
spk_0
Album process, I guess also Bjorn asked me to do it while Peter was out dating his girlfriend.
spk_0
So we also came and went.
spk_0
So I think the summer vibe we recorded during a very good nice summer in Stockholm.
spk_0
So it was a very laid back and open process.
spk_0
I started to meld with your eyes and my ways.
spk_0
And you are my way.
spk_0
It's time to smell and my ways take you to me.
spk_0
Start to meld was probably the first pop song I ever wrote.
spk_0
I had made a couple of really crappy jazz fusion tracks before when I went to high school.
spk_0
But yeah, I think I had this portable hard drive tape recorder.
spk_0
I don't know what it's called.
spk_0
I recorded the demo there.
spk_0
And Bjorn heard it and thought it sounded a bit like Brian Eno.
spk_0
Maybe I don't know if it was my terrible voice or the structure of the song.
spk_0
It's kind of minimalistic.
spk_0
It's like a mantra or something.
spk_0
So Bjorn's idea was to enhance that to make it a bit more garage noise track inspired by I think Brian Eno.
spk_0
When we recorded it, we listened to Brian Eno a lot on this record.
spk_0
And Brian Eno solo albums from the 70s.
spk_0
And on a few songs, Brian Eno put like one kit in one speaker and one different recorded kit in the other speaker, which we thought was cool.
spk_0
So that's what we did on start to melt.
spk_0
There's actually two kits.
spk_0
One is on the left side and one is on the right hand side.
spk_0
And then there's just a lot of I guess noises and you know reverb.
spk_0
I mean, delayed feedback stuff, you know, that's probably what he put in there.
spk_0
And it was a bit scary.
spk_0
Hearing your own voice recorded on your own song.
spk_0
But Bjorn made a good job hiding my voice in a lot of guitars.
spk_0
Yeah, I think he probably record them himself.
spk_0
Because so no one could like hear him.
spk_0
He was sitting like I do like to like with a mic like you know in very like not standing up.
spk_0
I was like sitting down like in a little cube or something.
spk_0
But on Amsterdam, when I sing, I put what's it called?
spk_0
Stylophone that you can play with a pen.
spk_0
I put the sounds like so that's that's a double tracking the vocal.
spk_0
I think it sounded better.
spk_0
It was just like distorted and at that time we had no auditune and stuff like that.
spk_0
So I just felt more comfortable with that sound.
spk_0
So maybe we did something similar with John.
spk_0
I can't remember.
spk_0
I think it was a bit scary for them to two sings.
spk_0
So they often wanted to do it in isolation and like hide with the mic somewhere and a lot of reverb.
spk_0
I still can feel the light when the waves and when the light starts to turn and the waves take me to the sky.
spk_0
I think the amazing thing about John's songs on this record which is this might sound weird and maybe he gets upset.
spk_0
But I feel like maybe that's another thing about being natural and just being you know not to overthink and be any relaxed.
spk_0
I kind of felt like he hit it out of the park immediately like best songs are on this record.
spk_0
There's a couple of later ones that I really love as well.
spk_0
But no it's just like a nice shoe gacy jam and I can't remember how his demo sounded.
spk_0
But his demos were really really ambitious like I only brought in like I made just guitar and voice.
spk_0
And some of yours were with more ambitious but John's were almost like his demo record for this record which also has a lot of other songs.
spk_0
It's almost like a record you know you can I could listen to that.
spk_0
So I think he sort of have the feel of this song already there we'd like the guitars and everything.
spk_0
So I think it's both me and John on electric guitars. So it's like a lot of guitars on that song.
spk_0
It's almost like a haiku like the lyric is so nice it's almost like a haiku poem.
spk_0
Yeah I thought they were kidding me when they asked me to write pop songs.
spk_0
I was like what why should I do that?
spk_0
You guys are good at it you've done it since you were kids so but I think that affected the vibe of it like it wasn't that hard.
spk_0
And I think there was some of my best lyrics as well because I didn't think too much it was just okay pop song.
spk_0
It's not that hard.
spk_0
Recording the lyrics on start-to-melt and also up against the wall and ancient curse that was a B side.
spk_0
I think it was also very naive but of course it was about not being successful in dating.
spk_0
At that time so my songs are probably the most bitter sweet romantic probably a bit self-lived but also very much do it for the first time and see what happens.
spk_0
Style.
spk_0
Well that's another up against the wall it's another John song obviously and I think he had like maybe more sections like there was stuff happening like some weird middle-late and at some point we kind of stripped that away and it just stayed with the one riff and just like the one thing going all the way through.
spk_0
And it's just nice it's something we used later as well obviously the drum beat is just fantastic.
spk_0
I think that was on his demo I think he had it like a written thing but then it's so nice with the bass and guitar it's almost like a we usually say like a book or tea and the MG's thing.
spk_0
I had made a demo for up against the wall there was just drums and a guitar and the vocals I think and when Bjorn heard it he wanted to extend everything and make it into this kind of new order type song and which was fantastic I think I was so impressed by Bjorn's production on that song that was kind of when I understood that yeah Bjorn is going to work as a producer
spk_0
because he made this very simple minimalistic song into this kind of epic in the kind of new order song that keeps on building and yeah I think we worked a lot of just layers playing different kind of guitars but it was mostly Bjorn sitting in the studio just putting layers on layers and building it.
spk_0
Really working out the arrangement so he spent a lot of time doing that.
spk_0
I remember up against the wall because we played it like a trio in the rehearsal space and we made a version of it and it didn't sound good.
spk_0
And we did one more take maybe even but it didn't sound good. It was the same tempo it was the same vibe but it just didn't get it the right sort of I don't know James Brown sort of like stiffness to it so that's what we were after I think but it's such a cool beat you know but it's hard to get right.
spk_0
So that's the only song on the album that has like a loop of the drums if I remember correctly and once we got that idea we recorded bass and guitar to the loop that we had the drum loop and then I think I did a lot of editing on that one if I remember correctly I was on tour with Caesar's palace called the Caesars and I had this MacBook white one.
spk_0
Like small 12 inch MacBook and I was sitting in the tour bus like doing different things I was tweaking so it was like a lot of versions of like but in the end we probably arranged it to I mean I sent it to the guys and you know we like this and that and then so it's sort of like a long like drum machine stuff like different stuff that we had but we the basic part is that the drums would be a loop and that was there was the whole like this.
spk_0
So that's what I cracked the cold for us.
spk_0
Bjorn and Peter have played together for a long time and they were into their power pop, Elis Costello and a lot of very nice songs with sometimes complicated chord structures and a lot of parts and that's one of the things we liked about the Lilis album sort of like that thing but
spk_0
the more we played together it felt like it would be interesting to strip things down take away some chords take away some sounds take away some and make it more the cliché less is more thing and to leave space in the production as well and I think Bjorn was very into that as a producer at that time.
spk_0
That's the thing I had to learn after a while because when we started I was so used to play by myself or you know feeling up a lot of space since I was a kid because I was doing troubadour shows I was like playing a little bass a little chords some melodies so I was like I was using the guitar as a band basically.
spk_0
But Bjorn kept saying like play less play less and like play just one string and stuff like that and I picked up on it and now I can do both so it's nice but it was kind of hard for me at first because I was like a machine I was like singing and playing all this stuff and then let's just to think that oh you can play less and then you just have to base and guitar like working together like that is I love playing that that's like my favorite song ever to play live I think and obviously our live version is quite different from the record.
spk_0
It starts like the record but then it goes on into this long jam sections that are different every night so it's sort of like our big jam song.
spk_0
Paris 2004 is kind of like a self-explanatory song it's about the first holiday I went with my girlfriend now wife to Paris and we're kind of a shame.
spk_0
We did a shitty holiday in some respects because we didn't have any money in 2004 and it was expensive and we went to bad restaurants you hear all this stuff about the great food in Paris but we didn't find the right places and it was raining all the time but it was still that thing of like okay we're like really getting serious and we're kind of deeply in love.
spk_0
I'm the bread to have eaten croissant.
spk_0
I'm the bread to have eaten croissant.
spk_0
Yeah a lot of the songs are about love and Peter was totally newly in love with his girlfriend and Bjorn had met his girlfriend,
spk_0
and the same girlfriend says it's still together with now so it was kind of a very passionate time as well and I think you can hear that.
spk_0
Paris 2004 I remember Peter being newly over years and heels and head in love with his girlfriend and so I think this song is based on a trip day.
spk_0
We made two Paris. It's a cute song and again it's just that feeling of singing that in front of people now and you get people really connect with it and talking about having it at their weddings and stuff so it's a very romantic song and we made it work on the recording and the title is not to John Cale again like Paris 1919.
spk_0
That was another song where I wrote it at home like with this little riff on the guitar and I thought maybe this is not a Peter Bjorn song and then I started recording some songs with a friend of mine to be a strobe a producer and singer songwriter for maybe a solo record and I played him this song and he said that's a Peter Bjorn song so he was him like okay what's the difference like yeah I thought he's heard it.
spk_0
I heard like some sort of pop sensibility in it that maybe the other songs didn't have and I think it was right but it is sort of like a very folk song but at the same time it has this kind of big chorus and this riff and it's very simple.
spk_0
The back of your shoulder you don't have to tell cause I know so well what we are after like why is it from certain tables to spell on me I have to zoom in you laughter you laughter.
spk_0
It has a couple of things where I really like in general in songs is the middle eight different chords but it's the same melody I like stuff like that where you kind of go somewhere else but it's kind of the same melody but it becomes minor and obviously the chorus is really simple.
spk_0
I think maybe I listened to across the universe at some point that I thought like I've been a Beatles not since I was a kid and it is kind of the same melody as yeah I go the same I'm all about I mean it's a different but it's kind of the same notes.
spk_0
Paris 2004 it's such a great song now when we went out on tour it's a pleasure playing that song and it's a Peter song the whole thing it's his like picking on the guitar that's the whole demo like singing the whole thing but I think like getting the cool drums with no like high hat it's a I guess it's sort of like a shuffly beat but I think it's like a
spk_0
living that out makes it really cool I think it's a John arrangement the arrangement I really like it's like also this kind of song song very friendship
spk_0
straight down song and also this song tried to make the drums not as faulty maybe as you could have but more like a drummer from a different band was supposed to play a folk tune so it's also very minimalistic to make the drums are played and I think we worked a lot of keeping it open.
spk_0
That's a lot of better songs.
spk_0
When we made this record rise block we had all of us was like nuggets fans you know nuggets was like a power pop and garage rock compilations with a lot of cool songs like question mark and the mysterious or like you know different like different cool bands with and maybe they had
spk_0
like one hit or one cool song or whatever but a lot of that stuff was like they had a cool intro you know and then when the song started it was not as cool so we tried to like you want to sample the intro like that's a break beat thing for hip hop people and everybody else too you want to sample the cool part but I mean why not make the cool part into the song you know the whole it should never go away from that and you say the cool part so that was like we wanted the drums to
spk_0
sound very sampleable I don't know like James Brown sample like it would sound so cool so people would want to sample it so when actually people did it of course blew us away but it was also like I mean it did make sense because it's cool stuff you know I would sample it myself so it's like we weren't surprised but we're really happy.
spk_0
Most of the tracks are very sparse so you can hear everything it's kind of it's easy to sample and take a small part of it and use it for some so it's kind of perfect like for sampling and I think it has a lot to do with the drums and the bass sound and that is so dry and so much space and I mean it's the ultimate compliment because I'm a huge fan of old soul and R&B and funk and stuff so it's kind of being in the same category you know but I think
spk_0
this record in that sense started something new for I guess Indy in the rock they started to get interested in this sort of bands I guess but before that I can't remember and obviously you can hear influences of this sound in other bands later I think you know they've kind of picking up on this parseness you know like we junk folks it's sort of like a sort of like a dance disco song but it's or like a club song but it's a club song for door
spk_0
works you know it's for so it's it's it's a new thing so I think it's a compliment I I'm not saying I like all of those versions but it's yeah it's nice just out of the blue we got this email with the link to Kanye West version of young folks it was some kind of a mixtape that he made which felt at that point really weird actually and done
spk_0
I think Drake did let's call it off a bit later and yeah I guess it's because of the aesthetic of the drums being very easy to cut out because it's a lot of space and arrangements and also that they are played like James Brown beat or East GB but with this 10 year old playfulness so I guess that's I mean
spk_0
that's what you look for when you try to find a hip hop beat so it's a very sample album
spk_0
something's better inside of the store did you agree we should let it be and did you agree
spk_0
call it off was a song that I wrote I wanted to make like um there was a band called Electrolane back in the day like in the early 2000s that were a really cool band
spk_0
they had some sort of like vibe with their like minor chords going around I don't know something like that so I didn't really
spk_0
state it but it was like influenced by their harmonic sort of like vibe so it was made on an acoustic guitar I think and then I think Peter came up with a melody guitar line
spk_0
well that's mainly Bjorn song and and we wanted the Wami bar and this hogstrom have that so we kind of made it sort of had that surface sound
spk_0
and then there's the nylon as well and there's not much else is it like the Tom Tom's and it's a very sparse
spk_0
recording it's just basic guitar and drums basically I think maybe some hand claps yeah and also
spk_0
me and Bjorn sing in harmony all the way so it's kind of almost like a mercy beat sort of like a
spk_0
being made for the album and I think Bjorn had a demo that was more garage she
spk_0
roared than then it is on the album but we managed to find this kind of shadows 20 60s guitar sound that
spk_0
suited the song perfectly so this was kind of one of the most easy songs I think to record because it's
spk_0
kind of simple structure but still it's the choices having this nylon string chord guitar instead of
spk_0
electric makes it very like organic and it sounds more friendly and cheap in some way
spk_0
so I think that's some kind of magic the way these songs work together and then
spk_0
another version was made after this with some steel drums and some added percussion I think that
spk_0
was a kind of single version but I still think this album version is the most suitable
spk_0
spk_0
Bjorn used to work in the record store as an extra job
spk_0
and I used to hang out there as well when we were even younger like before we met John
spk_0
and we're listening a lot to Bert Bachreck stuff and Dion Warwick and stuff like that and there was
spk_0
one song where she did a version of it wasn't her originally but you can have her
spk_0
and I guess she's saying you can have him you can have him
spk_0
maybe recognize I can't remember who did the original version there's a Swedish version of it as well
spk_0
but on the young warwick's version it isn't the same drum beat so we kind of that's kind of
spk_0
how we work we kind of rather than sampling something you kind of okay let's play that I mean it's
spk_0
not exactly the same but it's very similar like tut tut tut tut yeah and just with their voices
spk_0
you can have him tut tut tut tut yeah great version so I remember that that we took that like
spk_0
oh remember that Dion Warwick track
spk_0
the two of us that's such a cool song and now when we played it people go nuts and they hear the
spk_0
the riff I guess it's John coming up with the riff for me I don't know it's like a tch tch tch tch tch tch tch
spk_0
and that was like the origin of the song it's like the the drum pattern which we heard someone do
spk_0
and we just liked it so we want to do it and also the vibe I guess
spk_0
that we were looking for was like the band the chills the chills started with me having this
spk_0
stupid naive idea of making a version of the Miami Vice opening a song it's thought with this
spk_0
and this show was huge in Sweden because at that time the I mean we're growing up in Sweden there was
spk_0
coolest thing you can imagine like being a police at the catching drug drug addicts and criminals in
spk_0
Miami if like it was the coolest thing ever apart from mecha and that we also had on national TV
spk_0
every Saturday so those were our cultural influences when we grew up so Miami Vice was
spk_0
something really important so the song started with that idea to make the intro sounding like the
spk_0
Miami Vice intro and actually the song started from that and then stuff being added with the chords
spk_0
and the Peter Otheliric and then we also loved this song Pink Frost by the band The Shills
spk_0
that's why the song is called The Shills of course so in the soft part the chorus is like a
spk_0
humour to that song in the band so we tried to mimic their sound
spk_0
still no place for someone I need to feel
spk_0
this song I mean most of the other tracks are just played like songs are playing from almost
spk_0
to beginning to the end this is the performance the drums are varied some bars are uneven I mean
spk_0
it's live recording but this song I think is cut out so it's like a sample that gets repeated
spk_0
I think you can hear that it's more like chopped up this is kind of an interesting song because
spk_0
I didn't try to any of the music but I think I write all the words so I think Bjorn and John wrote
spk_0
it together like the the music and I don't know who wrote what I wasn't there but I wrote the words
spk_0
and I think something about how the track ended sounding and like the vibe of the track
spk_0
reminded me of the Shills like the New Zealand band and Pink Frost and just that vibe so we
spk_0
just something I picked up on and wrote this lyric and finally enough later on this was when we
spk_0
had an email address called ptbronjon at gmail.com I think and I don't know if it still exists
spk_0
but back in those days anyway someone wrote about this song I guess in Australia on New
spk_0
Zealand and Martin Phillips who's no longer here he wrote just he wrote a really sweet email and
spk_0
said I heard that this song was inspired by us and really like yes such a sweet email I wish
spk_0
I could find it somewhere but it's just like wow that's amazing you know
spk_0
you
spk_0
yeah roll the credits is an interesting song because it's it's made on guitar so it's like um
spk_0
I can't really play guitar that well but taking this D chord and then like
spk_0
making a different chord with the same root note I mean that this is like
spk_0
off the charts to be me like making like different weird you know chords but
spk_0
but it's basically on the first three strings doing some shit you know and then like singing over
spk_0
that so it was like it was a short snippet of a song but it made it we made it into a longer thing
spk_0
with the dynamic going up like then must have been like a group effort I think we rehearsed it and
spk_0
just like made it long because it was cool
spk_0
spk_0
roll the credits I think it was called tremolo as a demo Bjorn came with it and he had been playing
spk_0
with a guy called Nikolai Dung at a Swedish singer songwriter and also I think Bjorn was doing
spk_0
some kind of jazz project so for me it feels like this song comes from that period when
spk_0
Bjorn was into jazz and it was this Kletzmer album that was made together with this Nikolai Dunger
spk_0
so it was yeah they kind of levied down the ground do it yourself track that was like based on
spk_0
just having a guitar doing a tremolo on just three chords so it's a very simple idea with a very
spk_0
cinematic lyric I think yeah roll the credits another favorite it's one of Bjorn's most personal
spk_0
songs I think I shouldn't talk about the lyric but I love this one a lot and it's interesting when
spk_0
you juxtapose like you think about obviously my fiction because I think these two go together really
spk_0
well they have like a similar even though this is slower it kind of has the same building blocks
spk_0
it has like a lot of guitars and a lot of like snares and yeah that sort of insistent beat that
spk_0
goes through the whole thing and again sort of like a folky simple folk like a lot of nylon guitar
spk_0
yeah I guess it's very orchestral disarrangement yeah and and maybe it's not that common on a
spk_0
in the rock album to have gradual crescendo so I guess it's part of my classical background that
spk_0
it's a lot of dynamics on on this song and a couple of other songs so it was like a slow build
spk_0
which we enhanced even more when we played it live I think
spk_0
I know that I I really wanted to sing this one like it so I liked it so much but I think it was
spk_0
to I did try but I think Bjorn wanted to sing it because it's very personal yeah I mean it's
spk_0
I felt that were kind of personal so I peter I think peter wanted to sing them first but I wanted
spk_0
to sing them as well so I don't know I just I guess I just like took it or something but because
spk_0
I felt it was very personal for me being in a relationship yeah I think being like late I was
spk_0
like maybe mid-twenties to when we wrote the songs too and it was like about getting into more
spk_0
like proper relationships and not caring so much about other people people thoughts and opinions and
spk_0
and it was basically and also like understanding you could be the the problem sometimes so
spk_0
and finding you know more deeper relationships maybe that's probably what most songs are about I think
spk_0
Bjorn was also quite newly in love and got together with his girlfriend are also still together
spk_0
this is a weak memory but me and Bjorn are from the north of Sweden and so is Bjorn's
spk_0
girlfriend so I guess this was some kind of going up to the north song like just
spk_0
leave everything and go somewhere else just as a couple to and it sort of speaks for most of the
spk_0
album apart from objects my affection and pork out there's a lot of this kind of finding finding your
spk_0
true love
spk_0
spk_0
well pork out it's kind of funny we've been as I said we've been touring this record a bit
spk_0
It's the ninth anniversary, like this 20 years since we recorded Righteous Block, but it actually was released in 2006 in Europe at least.
spk_0
So I think we're going to continue to play some shows next year.
spk_0
But what we did to make the record work as a presentation live is that we flipped the order.
spk_0
So we played it in reverse, which made for a much better tracklist.
spk_0
Like it would be shame if you play young folk second and everyone leaves.
spk_0
And the second song.
spk_0
Low self esteem.
spk_0
No, but so we started the shows with Porcao and it was really great.
spk_0
I think it shows how different, like you can't look at records and live performances as the same thing.
spk_0
It's two different presentations and what works as the last song might work as the first song vice versa.
spk_0
It's very different. But what I like about Porcao having it on here is that most of the other songs on the record,
spk_0
they deal with sort of being in and out of love or like feeling vaguely blue or sad or melancholic or happy or yeah, stuff like that.
spk_0
But this is something completely different.
spk_0
When I was gone and things go wrong, we don't need them anymore.
spk_0
I don't remember so much about the lyrics because it was a Peter song.
spk_0
And I can't remember what the Porcao, what it sounds like as a demo, is probably him on guitar.
spk_0
That's usually his demo.
spk_0
So maybe we made it into a sort of more sparse, you know, having those boots like kicking the floor with some reverb and delay on it,
spk_0
made it into more of a dystopian sort of soundscape sort of thing.
spk_0
And there's some beautiful lyrics in that too.
spk_0
And it definitely, yeah, maybe a little bit more like looking out what's going on in the world, maybe type of thing.
spk_0
Porcao, my memory from that song is recording a very weird like the East drum from a like toddler's drum kit.
spk_0
It was like the thing you buy at a toy store.
spk_0
So it's, I played it with just my finger, but it then it's in hats with distortion and reverb.
spk_0
So it's, it's like a very stripped down song, but it still sounds huge.
spk_0
And yeah, I wasn't really thinking about the lyrics of that song until today, before this interview, I sort of listened to it more carefully.
spk_0
And it's, I never thought it was kind of had a kind of political edge to it, which at that point maybe wasn't that coherent with the rest of the album, but I think it's perfect ending song because it's, it's some kind of reflection on the real world outside your small love bubbles.
spk_0
And so it's also, I think it's kind of cinematic as well.
spk_0
This is sort of anti-capitalist tube basically about how, you know, all the words that's put upon you is dependent on how much money you earn and what you can consume and your self work is sort of based on that maybe.
spk_0
And how stupid that is and then of course this double edged thing of that you do want to have that as well, you kind of hunger for it.
spk_0
And I thought about that sometimes, do people get this when we play it?
spk_0
Like, because it's so different from everything else, but I hope they do.
spk_0
And I think it's more, it hasn't like lost its, it's almost more fitting now than then in a way, like the meaning of this song, but it's still kind of poetic in a way that I was surprised.
spk_0
Okay, I wrote this. I can't really remember what I was thinking, but of course the irony is when I wrote that I was really poor.
spk_0
I like, I didn't have any money. And now I have some money because of this record.
spk_0
So it's, but what I do remember about specifically it was like, it's kind of more connected maybe to the two first records in how I wrote the song.
spk_0
It's like more have that sort of beatlecy, Elis Costello vibe. And when I presented it, I kind of heard it more like a proper, you know, not more up tempo, but a bit more arranged.
spk_0
But to kind of make it fit to this record, we made it like various bars and I know it took away some parts as well.
spk_0
But I think this record needs a bit of that sourness or something more bitter and a bit otherwise it would have been almost too shield out.
spk_0
You know, like need a bit of angst.
spk_0
I don't have the means and so it seems for now I can't participate.
spk_0
But I waited alone. Now the dollar's strong again. I still can't participate.
spk_0
When we don't consume it seems we are immune to all of the folks they sell.
spk_0
I think the whole album was rad for sure. Maybe I think the mixing was great. I think the mastering was great too.
spk_0
And the whole album was definitely, it was yeah, it was the best one I felt for us definitely at the time.
spk_0
Because it's so different like with the nylon guitar stuff and all that. Then we did like for example, Gimissam is really good record too.
spk_0
But it's more like normal rock. But this is like, it's very ball the record I think, right? This block, it's like, it's cool without trying to be cool.
spk_0
And it's there's like some a lot of nice instruments that people don't use daily or so much.
spk_0
It is actually a cool achievement to get that on the radio and to be able to play it as a trio.
spk_0
I mean, it was definitely very different. If you compare it to first two records, there's a lot of evolution there.
spk_0
There's a lot of difference. And then of course we continue changing for the next couple of records.
spk_0
But I can't remember my feelings. I think I was a bit, it was a bit doubled because I wasn't sure about some of the sounds, like especially the vocal sounds.
spk_0
I thought it sounded almost too like low fire. And I remember that I wasn't happy with all my vocals. I'm still not.
spk_0
I think sometimes you know, I almost did it like an after for it was a bit fast, maybe because we wanted to sort of shield out vibe. I don't know.
spk_0
But what I can see now like with hand sight and everything like the sound of it and made sheep like that and making it personal with the, as we said, the tape echo, like the sounds we decided on.
spk_0
And the mood we were in, I guess, and maybe the hot summer. It makes it very unique and very special. And also the songs are uniformly strong.
spk_0
Like I think they're all there's not like one where you're like, it's another thing when you're performing a whole record like this.
spk_0
I know some of our other records where there are songs I definitely love, but then there are songs I, you know, are not crazy about.
spk_0
And on this record, there's nothing where I feel ashamed or less nothing where like, and I think that's at the end of the day.
spk_0
The sounds like the presentation and the arrangements, but also just the songs. The songs are good.
spk_0
It's weird because the recording of it is fresh. I mean, can you remember like moments and days in the studio and stuff like that.
spk_0
But when the album came out, the only thing I remember was the first time we played the songs live at a small, small, small cafe bar in Stockholm for maybe 40 people.
spk_0
But still we could feel or I could feel the way we played these songs. There was the first time I felt like I was in a band.
spk_0
We felt like a trio that played all of us sang, quiet, and like we were sort of piecing the band together for the first time, the way we played and as a trio.
spk_0
So enough, one of my best friends came up to me after that gig and said precisely that, wow, this is like, I've always hated your band.
spk_0
Even though he was friends with all of us, but now it's like your proper band. This is the first time I can listen to you now.
spk_0
And so it was sort of very specific break, I think, that we found our own voice in a way.
spk_0
We made a deal with V2 in Sweden.
spk_0
And through them we got signed to Wichita and it also started releasing the record in other parts of the world.
spk_0
But it's a lot of different labels in different countries. So it was kind of a mess there for a while.
spk_0
But it was kind of interesting because when young folks came out, that was in the summer of 2006, it started getting a lot of airplanes, Swedish radio.
spk_0
And we were kind of, wow, this is new, it's never happened before. But then through Wichita obviously started, got played at first, I think in Ireland and then all around UK.
spk_0
And then Australia picked it up in Japan and it was kind of kind of kept building. So it was kind of a different, a new situation.
spk_0
But just continued, more and more shows. And of course, as everyone knows, when you start touring a lot and your records start selling,
spk_0
you're not getting any money until much later. So I had to borrow money from someone to buy another guitar because I needed an extra guitar on stage.
spk_0
I couldn't afford it. So it was kind of weird. But we just continued playing a lot. And then at some point we were going between some festivals in different parts of the world.
spk_0
And I was on a flight with Bjorn. And I asked him, because I still hadn't finished, I had like, I don't, the work training for this library course I told you about, I asked Bjorn, do you think I will be able to finish?
spk_0
Should I finish that now? And he said something like, no, I think you can forget about that.
spk_0
It's like, because then it just continued, you know, and also at that point we said no to nothing. So we were all around the world at the same time. So there was no real plan.
spk_0
So it took some time for it to sink in, I think.
spk_0
Young folks coming out and we were playing in New York and people see me in the subway start whistling. I mean, that's just like, it is really crazy. And it was crazy like going to Texas and be playing like this Swedish indie rock thing and people plus 70 comes up at the hotel and like tells me how much they like us, the band and stuff.
spk_0
That was just like, yeah, of course, like young folks on MTV and all that stuff is like that. It was like, it was beyond, I think, beyond or whatever we could imagine.
spk_0
Well, one of the strongest memories that this was actually happening was after we had played the Conan O'Brien show in New York, we were, it was recorded during the day and then they showed it on TV.
spk_0
I don't know, was it 10 or something like that. And then we were at the bar watching ourselves playing on Conan O'Brien and was this stylistic moment and also this very joyful, weird feeling that this was happening for real.
spk_0
But it was, I think it was just seeing yourself on that TV screen in that bar made it like true for the first time for me anyway.
spk_0
I want to spend, I want to spend in the never-ending story, but it always sends, and it always sends, and it always sends.
spk_0
The writer's block is obviously the album that I made, it's possible for me to continue a career in music and make a living, which is, I mean, amazing and I didn't expect that.
spk_0
And it's also one of the best records I made. I wouldn't say it's the best. I mean, there's always like different reasons why you like stuff. And it's definitely one of the best Peter Bjorn-John records.
spk_0
And I'm happy about it. There's still this thing as we talked about, like sometimes you wish people would find more things, but you know, it's a time and a place.
spk_0
nostalgia is a weird thing. It's kind of of going out and playing an old record and talking about an old record. It's kind of weird because you're always like, I'm not much for nostalgia. I'm always on to the next thing, like writing new songs and doing new things.
spk_0
But at the same time, like if I have a favorite band playing a favorite record, I might go check them out and also meeting 20-year-olds and sometimes like even younger people who somehow found us and loved this record and come to the show.
spk_0
And maybe they heard it through their parents or grew up with us and couldn't see us back then. They were too small or maybe not even born.
spk_0
So that's like a beautiful thing to see like different generations taking the same songs and finding this record. So yeah, I mean, it's it's it's not just one emotion. It's a lot of emotions, but yeah, I'm happy we didn't quit before it.
spk_0
Still today, I think I love this album. It feels like some kind of love, a child or something. It's I put the songs on and I get transported back until I get transported back to that summer when record it. And it feels very summary and easy and joyful and I'm really happy that I've
spk_0
been part of such an album that it has this kind of atmosphere when you put it on. It creates some kind of nice mood, which I think is quite hard to capture in music and an album. So yeah, I'm very still proud of it.
spk_0
I think right this block is a real treat actually for us to play now live. It's it's there's no dull moment for me. I like all the songs.
spk_0
I think they're well produced and sound really cool. I would definitely love that album if I didn't make myself too. So that's I can't say that on every album.
spk_0
And just be went out on a US tour and feel so great being part of people's lives. They come up and say like they grew up with this album or they got married to a song or something like that. It's just amazing.
spk_0
Something you don't expect when you're from Sweden making rock music.
spk_0
Visit lifeoftherecord.com for more information about Peter Bjorn and John. You'll also find a full transcript of this episode and a link to purchase writer's block.
spk_0
Instrumental music by Rosetta. Thanks for listening.
spk_0
Instrumental music by Rosetta.