Living Thing

Living Thing
Studio album by
Released30 March 2009
GenreIndie pop
Length47:08
LabelWichita (UK)
Startime (US)
Cooperative (GER)
Peter Bjorn and John chronology
Seaside Rock
(2008)
Living Thing
(2009)
Gimme Some
(2011)
Singles from Living Thing
  1. "Nothing To Worry About"
    Released: 2009
  2. "It Don't Move Me"
    Released: 2009
  3. "Lay It Down"
    Released: 2009

Living Thing is the fifth album by Peter Bjorn and John, released on 30 March 2009 in the UK and 31 March in the US.[1] Much darker and more experimental than their previous album Writer's Block, Living Thing expands the sound of the group by taking more cues from hip-hop and electronic music, in particular the work of African electronic funk musician William Onyeabor. Three singles were eventually released from the album: "Nothing To Worry About," 'It Don't Move Me," and "Lay It Down."

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[2]
Blender[3]
Entertainment Weekly(B)[4]
The Guardian[5]
NME(5/10)[6]
Pitchfork Media(5.5/10)[7]
Rolling Stone[8]
PopMatters(7/10)[9]
Spin[10]
Slant Magazine[11]

Initial critical response to Living Thing was generally positive. At Metacritic, the album has received a score of 68 based on 31 reviews.[12] However, some were unsatisfied with the apparent darker tone of the album as a follow-up to their previous success with Young Folks.

Track listing

  1. "The Feeling" – 3:08
  2. "It Don't Move Me" – 3:21
  3. "Just the Past" – 5:10
  4. "Nothing to Worry About" – 2:56
  5. "I'm Losing My Mind" – 3:44
  6. "Living Thing" – 4:38
  7. "I Want You!" – 3:39
  8. "Lay It Down" – 3:26
  9. "Stay This Way" – 4:19
  10. "Blue Period Picasso" – 4:36
  11. "4 Out of 5" – 4:08
  12. "Last Night" – 4:03

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2009) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)[13] 73
Dutch Alternative Albums (Alternative Top 30)[14] 21
UK Albums (OCC)[15] 162
US Billboard 200[16] 92
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[17] 7
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[18] 23
US Top Tastemaker Albums (Billboard)[19] 13

References

  1. ^ Raper, Dan. "Peter Bjorn and John: Living Thing < PopMatters". Popmatters.com. Retrieved 2012-02-29.
  2. ^ "Allmusic review".
  3. ^ "Blender review". Archived from the original on 2009-03-28. Retrieved 2009-03-28.
  4. ^ "Entertainment Weekly review". March 25, 2009. Archived from the original on March 27, 2009.
  5. ^ Catchpole, Chris (March 15, 2009). "The Guardian review". London.
  6. ^ "NME review". NME.
  7. ^ "Pitchfork Media review". Pitchfork.
  8. ^ "Rolling Stone review". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on March 22, 2009.
  9. ^ "PopMatters review".
  10. ^ "Spin review".
  11. ^ "Slant Magazine review". Slant Magazine. 2 October 2023.
  12. ^ "Peter Bjorn And John:Living Thing (2009): Reviews". Metacritic. CNET Networks, Inc. Retrieved 2009-04-02.
  13. ^ "Albums : Top 100". Jam!. 5 March 2009. Archived from the original on 14 April 2009. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  14. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Peter Bjorn and John – Living Thing" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  15. ^ "Chart Log UK: 11.04.2009". UK Albums Chart. Zobbel.de. Retrieved 7 January 2026.
  16. ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  17. ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  18. ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2026.
  19. ^ "Peter Bjorn and John Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 28 May 2020. Retrieved 6 January 2026.