Peter Bjorn And John - Let's Call It Off (Wichita)
UK release date: 30 October 2006
You can't imagine these failing to go down well at next summer's festivals. There's something about Scandinavians in that they seem to be much better at distilling the essence of good British pop songs and then using those findings to record lush pieces of music like this, with its clean, low-fi production, bouncy guitar and happy clappy sound effects.
Open, echoey vocals and an unusual steel drum melody add a twist. The overall effect is retro, but the mix of instrumentation sounds very fresh. Having being nominated as best Swedish band at the MTV Europe Awards maybe this release from Peter Bjorn and John's third album, Writer's Block, will strike a chord with a wider audience.