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From The Desk Of Peter Bjorn And John: David Byrne

Living Thing, the fifth album from Peter Bjorn And John, is a strong indication that the acute pop minds behind 2006 breakthrough record Writer’s Block have much more to give. Despite its spare arrangements and instrumentation, Living Thing incorporates fuller melodies and more intricate sounds, ranging from dub to a sort of Merseybeat gone electro. Peter Bjorn And John are guest editing magnetmagazine.com this week. Read our Q&A with them.

Peter: A really smart and inspiring guy, still going strong. I haven’t heard half of David Byrne‘s solo stuff, and even though I do love Talking Heads a lot, it’s as much his work as a label guy that is a source of inspiration. I’ve found so many fantastic songs on his excellent Luaka Bop compilations, which have spurred my interest to hear more of a lot of exotic styles. One example being the amazing song “Better Change Your Mind” by William Onyeabor, which I can’t get past when I DJ and has inspired some of the beats and keys on our new album, Living Thing. Also, the album Byrne did with Brian Eno last year (Everything That Happens Will Happen Today) was really, really good.

David Byrne & Dirty Projectors’ “Knotty Pine” (download):

David Byrne And Brian Eno’s “Strange Overtones” (download):