I am sorry to say that, at first listen (aw hell, first five listens), I did not get the newest release by Peter, Bjorn and John. In fact, I did not get it until this morning, when I chose to listen to it while stuck in traffic.

At first listen, the opening track, “The Feeling,” was monotone and droning to me, and still I’d prefer if it were nuzzled in between some other tunes to give it a little more punch. But once I got past that, “It Don’t Move” did quite the opposite. It was dancy and old school — the kind of breaky beat had me moving. I like this direction for the uber pop PBJ…it’s a complete turn-around for them in terms of sound. It borders on a production level that could be a dance record but then hovers around that with songs that evoke early Magnetic Fields, as in the mellow starter, “Just The Past.”

“Just The Past” is a sweet song — almost a lullaby. Its faint toy piano and darling love letter prose are a peak at other sweet songs that might get lost in this album. As per usual, the phrasing of the “English as a second language” lyrics are all the more endearing — the most being “Take a rest with me, after a long day, foots (like plural feet) on the table, don’t take them down down down…” It’s a longer song with a hand-drum, I believe, to keep the time. This gentle tune takes the album right into the single, and the high-note: “Nothing To Worry About.”

It’s infectious, this song. Its accusatory tone and bratty children’s voices make for a great remix. I forsee many parties and a lot of dancing to this song all year long. It’s got this booming drum in the back that could be brought forward to really allow for some great booty-dropping moves on the floor. But, at this point, they kind of dropped me — the next track is ill-placed and the intro is flat for me. “Losing My Mind” has potential, but the intro kills it. Post-intro, its a fun little drummer-boy song, and I love the amount of grit involved in the guitar. Whoever is banging on that pipe for percussion needs to lay off a bit, though. This song and the next have a similar thing going on — the voice stretching sound at the intro does not make me want to listen further. I have to stop myself from skipping songs, and usually I am pleased to find the song after the intro. This album is a peculiar mix.

I am pleased to report that there are a few selections that are totally awesome keepers. I love “Lay It Down” — everything about it — the bridge and the beat. The memorable refrain, “Hey shut the fuck up boy…” is something I like to repeat once the album is over. I like swearing — what can I say? After this song, the album becomes Peter, Bjorn and John, at least the familiar one I loved, on songs like “Amsterdam.” I cannot get enough of “Blue Period Picasso,” and it might be my new anthem. It is the greatest lyrically, and its production is nice and fuzzy, mellow and warm — it screams Magnetic Fields.

Truthfully, this was the hardest album to review for me in a long time. It was a difficult nut to crack, as I was full of expectations. I am curious to see how these songs translate to a live show.