‘Living Thing’ (music)

It’s hard to figure out Peter Bjorn and John.

The Swedish band set the music world aflame with its 2007 album, “Writer’s Block,” a fantastic blend of poppy hooks and melodies with the dangerously addictive single “Young People.” The album hit like a party in progress and put the boys at the top of the list of Scandinavian bands making (new) waves across the pond.

Curious listeners who have waited breathlessly for a proper follow-up — the band released a mostly instrumental album, “Seaside Rock,” in 2008 — will probably be disappointed. There’s nothing wrong with “Living Thing.” It’s smart enough and chock full of interesting references.

Problem is it’s not a lot of fun. There are no soaring moments of joy from Peter Moren, Bjorn Yttling and John Eriksson like on “Writer’s Block.” Lyrically, Moren seems bummed out. And musically, the album never achieves liftoff, perhaps chained to the ground by too many ideas.

Opener “The Feeling” seems ominous with its monotonous drumbeat and slow pacing. “It Don’t Move Me” is an homage to the ever-dour Depeche Mode. Even the title track, with its bouncy bass line, fails to get the booty shaking — or even the toes tapping.

There are some fun moments here — “Lay It Down,” with its unprintable chorus, for instance. And Peter Bjorn and John remain a band to watch because they’re smarter and more inventive than many of their contemporaries.

‘Life Sentences’ (books)

Laura Lippman earned her fame with a series of books about a fictional Baltimore private detective named Tess Monaghan. But in recent years, she has written several stand-alone novels that have incrementally strayed from her mystery writing roots.

Now, with “Life Sentences,” she has written a crime novel in which the crime is almost beside the point.

The main character is Cassandra Fallows, a 50-ish writer who hit it big with two memoirs exploring her childhood friendships, her father’s interracial affair, her parents divorce, her own failed marriages and her frequent adventures with other women’s husbands.

Looking around for another project, Cassandra stumbles onto a crime story with a tenuous link to her own past. A woman named Calliope Jenkins spent seven years in prison because she refused to answer questions about the whereabouts of her missing baby boy, Dontay. She must have killed the child, everyone thinks, but no body was ever found.

Her next book, Cassandra decides, will explore her childhood memories for an explanation of who Calliope became, dig into the case of the missing child, and — if she is lucky — maybe even solve the mystery.

Like most of Lippman’s invariably well-written novels, this one is loosely based on a real case. A Baltimore woman named Jackie Bounight spent several years in prison for refusing to answer questions about her missing son, Maurice.

‘Defying Gravity’ (music)

Keith Urban’s new “Defying Gravity” arrives at a wholly different time in the country music star’s life than his previous studio album, 2006’s “Love, Pain & The Whole Crazy Thing.”

The distinction comes across clearly in the exuberance and comfort expressed in his new songs. Back then, Urban had checked into rehab two weeks before the album’s release, barely four months after his marriage to Nicole Kidman. Apparently, the long title reflected his conflicts between personal bliss and private torment.

Urban sounds decidedly more buoyant on “Defying Gravity.” The album’s sophisticated arrangements, several of which unfold at over the five-minute mark, also suggest the Australian native made the best of his extended creative break (which included the release of a greatest-hits compilation in late 2007). Tunes like “My Heart Is Open” and “If Ever I Could Love” experiment with rhythms and textures, and Urban expresses his joy in ecstatic guitar runs as well as in lyrics.

Indeed, some songs — “Kiss A Girl” and the album’s first hit, “Sweet Thing” –concentrate almost too much on musical merriment while letting the lyrics slip into juvenile sentiment. However, the best songs — the soulful “Standing Right In Front Of You,” the sweet ballad “Only You Can Love Me This Way” and the cover of Radney Foster’s “I’m In” — illustrate the distinctive talent Urban has for tying high-spirited instrumentation to upbeat statements about the pleasures of love and everyday life.