The adorably wimpy Swedes' whistled 2006 focus track, "Young Folks," suggested sensitive boy-children who would have a hard time lifting guitars, let alone rocking out on them. But Peter Bjorn and John's sixth disc is pretty mannish, a foray into Seventies English punk rock, early U2 and R.E.M. anthemics, arena-drum bombast and a cowbell-happy jam their fan Kanye West could flow over. They aren't trying to throw a muscle shirt over their sniffy, heart-sick lyricism, they're pumping it up. "I'm gonna break your nose and sing about it," Peter brags in "Breaker Breaker," a song about beating up a rock critic. Who wouldn't love to see that rumble?

Listen to "Breaker Breaker":

“Time to Pretend”

Listening to MGMT’s breakthrough song, one might interpret it as being about the excesses of rock stardom, but it’s actually about the duo’s pet praying mantis. Ben Goldwasser and Andrew VanWyngarden told Rolling Stone they got the idea from the insect's jerky movements. The mantis died, but the two bandmates kept the egg sack and allowed the hundreds of eggs to hatch. “We tried to name them all, but they died after a day,” said Goldwasser, with VanWyngarden chiming in, “But the praying mantis dance inspired us.”