Customer Reviews

Words for Living

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

P.J. Olsson is one of a new breed of musical chameleons who take widely varying musical styles and mash them together, with generally wild and cool results. Olsson doesn't disappoint with "Words for Living", with what the Boston Globe called "one of the finest examples of new millenial pop." And that's basically what this cd is, Olsson's musical mish-mash of techno and rock, with dashes of hip-hop, folk, and bubblegum pop, all backed by Beck-like lyrics.

WHO DOES THIS SOUND LIKE? : Probably the most obvious would be Beck, since "Loser" forecasted, and "Odelay" confirmed his brilliant new style. But Olsson does have a unique blend of music that at times incarnates and integrates Radiohead, Fatboy Slim, John Oszajca or any combination thereof.

HOW GOOD IS IT REALLY? WHAT ARE THE GOOD SONGS?: It's pretty darn good. It took me a few listens, but the songs grew on me very quickly. "Good Dream" is surprising smooth techno-rock, "Through Rock Songs" features Olsson's interesting vocals interlaced with complex rhythms, both "People" and "Thorazine" have a sweetly pure and harmonious ring.

SHOULD I TAKE THIS ALBUM TO PARTIES? : Yes. There are a number of danceable songs, especially the first four, along with a few others. Some of his slower songs are great, but they'd mellow out a party real quick.

WILL I FEEL TRENDY BUYING THIS CD? : The problem with millenial pop is that it got tagged with the "pop" part. Plus, I'm not sure the style, if it is even that, can become popular enough to stop the bubblegum tide. For now, feel cool that you're buying a cd that not many people have, but that many people should have.

WHAT WILL HE BE DOING IN TWENTY YEARS? : Still making music I hope. "Words for Living" is Olsson's announcement that he is a refreshing, imaginative young musician who deserves a listen.

Just saw PJ and his band perform at Bimbo's in SF 7/6, and they were awesome. Even with a sparce crowd of industry type people, by the end of the gig everyone was on their feet. I met PJ 6 years ago through a friend of his and have followed his work. He is not only an amazing singer but is also the creative force behind the music. His musical ability is at genious level. He is a rising star of the next century and will define a new an awesome genre in a space that is begging for fresh talent. GO PJ!

This CD "Words for Living" is awesome! P.J.'s musicis refreshing and inspirational. The rhythms make your body want todance and his words are pure poetry with deep symbolic meaning. Every song on this release is wonderful - hopefully we'll hear these on the radio waves very soon!

I've been waiting for this CD ever since seeing him live in Boulder last year. It was a wonderful show with lots of people dancing and everyone enjoying his performance. If you get a chance to go to one of his shows, you won't bedissapointed!

This CD, and P.J. himself, have been getting wonderfully positive reviews and I truly hope "Words for Living" will open the door of success for him. Then we'll be fortunate enough to be able to enjoy his music and performances for years to come. Good Luck P.J.!

I heard 'Visine' not long ago on the radio and thought it was totally awesome.. very techno/folk with a twist of a Beck sound. I love his attitude and sense of humor too :) I've also been listening to 'Good Dream' a lot, it's a little faster than the others and just as cool as the rest of the album... and 'Ready For a Fall' is a very sweet and soulful song, I'd say the mellowest song on the album. I think that may actually be my favorite one even though it's much slower. I'd definitely recommend this CD to anyone and everyone, it's very catchy and has alot of range so everyone will like it!

I am a big fan of PJ OLSSON. If you like music such as Tori Amos, Gardener, or Beck then you'll love this guy. He has fantastic lyrics and a very awesome song called Visine. i would strongly recomend getting this cd.

I don't remember how I came across PJ, but wherever/whoever it was recommended it if you're into Beck.

To be sure, there are some Beck similarities, but PJ also has his own voice and sound, and is in no way a Beck clone. Some of the songs are quite soulful. As an example, recently, I had the ipod on "shuffle play", and had to do a double take on the menu display, as at first, I mistook "People" for a Chocolate Genius song.

There are a couple of throwaways here, but most of the record is mildly psychedelic, quite catchy, and very listenable over time.

"Words For Living" is an amazing cd! It has great diversity and PJ mixes the sounds of pop, rock, techno, folk, and alternative like a pro. This album can really take you on a trip with the beautiful ballads "Ready For A Fall" and "People." The cd gives you an energenic vibe when listening to the opening track "Good Dream" and the first single "Visine." He has a wide appeal over many genres, but fans of Beck (cd "Odelay") and David Byrne should definately pick up this album. It truly is one of the "finest exampes of new millenial pop" as stated by the Boston Phoenix. Listening to it will make you want to pick up all of his other cds! It's addictive and I still can't stop listening to it!

I picked up PJ Olsson's CD "Words for Living" because I read about him in an LA Times article. The gist of the article was that PJ is the type of musician that is on the verge of being very big, and that he has a really down-to-earth attitude about success and is committed to being creative and musical. I thought that was a really interesting stance: a musician who actually cares about the music? WOW, what a breath of fresh air!

THIS CD IS GREAT! From the first track, "Good Dream", it is catchy and has some really cool lyrics. Then the CD just goes up from there! "Visine" and "I Am The Sun" made me stand up and MOVE. It makes you tap your toes and THINK - really, there is some great and creative word usage here. These are things I have not been able to appreciate with most of the CD's I hear today. Every track comes off with a uniquely different spin, complimented by PJ's ultra cool voice. This is great ART! I think of it like the first time I heard the Eagles "Hotel California" album and KNEW that it was an instant hit we should all appreciate. He sounds kind of like the wild combination of Seal, Beck and Moby morphed with Pink Floyd and Robert Frost.

I am going to tell everyone about this CD! I sincerely hope PJ makes it - because this CD has allowed me to have faith again in purchasing new music. Obviously, I recommend everyone check out PJ Olsson. I am honored to be the first reviewer for this, my new favorite CD!

I've been listening to this disk about once a day this month for some reason.

Musically it's uptempo and hovers somewhere between catchy and annoying. The Beck influence looms large, productionwise. The songwriting is decent, not particularly accomplished but the appealing personality of the performer comes through, making the album sort of charming, albeit in a modern sort of Hollywood-decadent way.

The instrumentation is gimicky and distracting. The songs are written for a dude and an acoustic guitar and then jazzed up with various studio stuff: clap tracks, strings, piano, sitar, backwards-spinning drum track, semi-distracting samples etc.

Thematically it tends toward jaded-though-hopeful love songs. The sexual imagery and orientation proclaimed here and there in the lyrics (so matter-of-factly!) is perhaps the most modern thing about this work. I found that aspect inspirational/challenging. A few of the lyrics have a twist or irony to them and make you laugh when you realize what he's actually saying. I liked the lyrics of sideburn-agenda, park benches, God speaks your name to me through rock songs (!), and also the dream about Josef Stalin.

Words For Living is good, competent, sometimes charming, possibly offensive singer-songwriter stuff that will either connect with you or not. I put it down for a few months, a bit disappointed in the purchase, but, having come back to it now, find it kind of catchy. Several songs on it will sound great on any mix tape you make, especially Good Dream, I Am the Sun, and Visine.

I first heard of PJ through my newspaper saying he'd be on Letterman (local boy makes good) one night. I watched it, of course, and was very impressed but I never got around to buying the CD. Then, a week ago I was trying to figure out what music to buy so I figured I'd give a fellow Yooper a try. I was very impressed. These songs are all deeply layered and intriguing, and I'd recommend this CD to anyone who really appreciates pop-music by it's actual definition, not by the Britney-Christina-Backstreet definition. I'd also recommend this CD to Beck fans, especially those who think Odelay is his greatest album.