Diamondback Online - The University of Maryland's Independent Daily Student Newspaper

There may be nothing quite as soothing and saccharine as a Swedish rock star crooning over an acoustic guitar - especially when the aforementioned Swede is Pete Morén, one third of Scandinavian import Peter Bjorn and John.

Branching out on his own, Morén has decided to do the compulsory solo album, the one that draws on the same influences as the day job but allows the songwriter in question unfettered reign over what sticks.

After the rich, New Wave-Beach Boys rush of PB and J's Writer's Block, more Morén in any form should be warmly welcomed. On three albums in four years, his song craft has evolved immensely. The band no longer shows great promise. They have arrived as a musical force to be reckoned with, boasting densely composed music catchy enough to keep listeners whistling into the wee hours of the night.

Turns out, though, PB and J is not as enticing sans the B and J. Plenty of recycled adjectives could easily be attached to Morén's solo debut, The Last Tycoon - pleasant, sleepy and inoffensive all come to mind. Really, it is the relative disappointment when compared to Morén's full-time gig that puts a damper on an otherwise enjoyable album.

The preview song from the album (which Morén made available for download via MySpace), "Social Competence," significantly built up expectations. Neat fingerpicking and hand claps build into a full-blown piano-led chorus and even a ripping harmonica solo. Veering much closer to PB and J territory than the greater half of the album, the tune makes a solid impression.

Even the occasional near-miss contains an interesting melodic turn or two. "Missing Link," despite its impossibly insipid lyrics and blasé string fills, carries through to the end with a delightful bounce in its step.

On Writer's Block, Morén never really sported anything too poetic, but his songs displayed a palpable emotional honesty. With the volume turned down, the weaker writing sticks out terribly. Album closer "I Don't Gaze at the Sky for Long" sports one particularly Hallmark-worthy line: "From now to forever is a memory" (wasn't that the tagline for The Prince Of Tides?). It seems a little hard to believe the same writer penned the biting put-downs in the wordy previous track, "Social Competence."

If there were any doubts of the collaborative nature of PB and J, Morén succeeds in dispelling them on Tycoon. For all the similarities his solo songs share with those appearing on PB and J albums, there is a noticeable excitement missing from the proceedings. The baroque folk on "Le Petit Coeur" is extremely well conceived but contains more heart-wrench than heart. It is brooding enough, just not incredibly lasting.

Not to be misleading - most of the songs are not half bad, some are quite good, and one is unequivocally great. But for some reason, Morén cannot bring the equation together.

Think of Tycoon as the boyfriend or girlfriend brought home to meet the extended family, eagerly awaiting its arrival. Of all the first impressions, the family comes away with the most offensive, unfortunate descriptor - the album is "nice."

Sure, "Tell Me in Time" captures some of the exuberant, negative spirit sorely absent elsewhere while aping just the right amount of "The Way Young Lovers Do." And Morén shows himself to be a veritable sardonic wit when he gnashes his teeth a little. Too often he sounds mildly content with sounding mildly content, even when the topic matter edges toward another disastrous relationship.

As a stopgap release, just a tiny taste between Writer's Block and whatever the full PB and J outfit has in store, Tycoon abates hunger for the time being. "Social Competence" alone justifies several spins of the entire album.

On its individual merits, though, the album does not manage to live up to the expectations Morén has worked so hard to secure. Tycoon should do nothing to diminish what PB and J has accomplished - and should continue to accomplish. At least we now know Morén is no selfish songwriter; he saves his best material for his bandmates.

zherrm@umd.edu

RATING: 3 STARS OUT OF 5

Article Tools