PETER MORÉN > The Last Tycoon

Peter Morén, of the Swedish garage pop group Peter, Bjorn and John, is releasing a solo album on the coattails the critically acclaimed album Writer’s Block. Don’t expect to hear catchy whistling intros a la “Young Folks” or garage rock sing-a-longs; Peter has turned the knobs down quite a bit for this laid back introspective affair. Label: Touch and Go/Quarterstick
[Rating: 3 Stars]

Peter Morén, of the Swedish garage pop group Peter, Bjorn and John, is releasing a solo album on the coattails the critically acclaimed album Writer’s Block. Don’t expect to hear catchy whistling intros a la “Young Folks” or garage rock sing-a-longs; Peter has turned the knobs down quite a bit for this laid back introspective affair. The Last Tycoon finds Morén on the doorstep of adulthood and wearing his influences on his sleeve. The crackling, dusty vinyl intro on “Old Love,” and nasal croon on “Social Competence,” scream Lennon, while songs like “I Don’t Gaze at the Sky for Long,” find Morén doing his best Dylan impression, with some folk-y finger-picking and cascading harmonica. The Last Tycoon is elegantly arranged and chock full of little embellishments of strings, synthesizers, vibraphones, percussion and drum machine or two.