THESE three Swedes have about as much affection for their jaunty, whistle-crammed signature hit Young Folks as James have for Sit Down.
Living Thing is a colder place altogether; all sneering vocals, icy synths, Britpop guitars and snappiness sacrificed for sparseness, which means no hits whatsoever this time. It’s a messy, dispassionate piece of work – the Bobby Gillespie-meets-OMD fry-up of Just The Past works nicely, Blue Period Picasso is a bittersweet, Human Leagueish gem and Last Night offers a pleasant if unremarkable slice of the ethereal, but The Feeling and I’m Losing My Mind are leaden and Nothing To Worry About, with its chanting school kid choir, is just annoying.
Long on ideas, short on realising them, Living Thing is the sound of a band saying “This is us, and if you don’t like it, hard luck”. Fine, as long as you have the songs to back it up. And, on this evidence, they haven’t.
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