On the night modern values caught up with Ted Cruz and he quit his principled electoral charade, a Swedish band in Brooklyn, long absent, was proving they were still relevant.
Peter Bjorn and John, performing in New York for the first time in five years and on their first tour overall in three years, played before a sold-out, schvitzy crowd and seizure-inducing lights at Baby’s All Right (146 Broadway) in Williamsburg on May 3rd. Though they had played a show the night before at the slightly larger Rough Trade venue, Baby’s All Right was the ideal setting for this band, whose aught-era music of the Apple Commercial genre, like the venue, is sleek and stylish, but not lacking in substance (listen only to the Bjorn’s driving-bass lines hidden behind expressionless shades for proof).
PB & J, whose initials charmingly invoke sandwiches, are still proven creators of a classic aught-era vaguely-electro pop, the brand of which is both meaty while lacking the real meat of raw emotion, and satisfying, while lacking the “je ne sais quoi” of lyrical or melodic spice. Their new album ‘Breaking Point’, from which they played a number of good songs, is out this Friday, June 10th. The title track, like all good Swedish songs, replete with whistling, is worth a listen.
Baby’s All Right is (146 Broadway) is one of the main venues for this week’s Northside Festival and we’ll be catching the Pure Bathing Culture, Eagulls show there tonight (6/9). Check out the rest of our Northside Music picks here!