Rather than try to recapture the deconstructionist pop of their ’06 breakout disc, Writer’s Block, Peter Bjorn and John delve into electronic instrumentation for the follow-up, Living Things. They’ve jettisoned Block’s exquisitely bone-dry production and, to my eternal dismay, any whistling whatsoever. Whoops, don’t forget fun. That’s gone too. Opening with the cold and impersonal Beach Boys–aping backgrounds on “The Feeling,” followed up by the empty hooks and half-hearted melodies of “It Don’t Move Me,” it seems the Swedish trio have set the controls to “downer.” Even the first single, “Nothing to Worry About,” offers little more than M.I.A.-meets-Robyn melodies channelled through synthesized kid voices. The album’s second half picks things up with a mix of cutesy and moody on “I Want You!” and the hilariously offensive “Lay it Down.” Still, the three mounted animal heads adorning the front cover come across like an ominous visual statement: Peter Bjorn and John, now stuffed with sawdust!

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