Many artists begin their career as a member of a group in order to gain some notoriety, then use their base audience to test their success at a solo project. Peter Mor’n'the vocalist from Peter, Bjorn, and John’is the newest artist to go it alone with his album The Last Tycoon. But while most make the jump to solo status with basically the same sound, adding a drum here and a trumpet there, Mor’n clears the table and starts from scratch.
Taking a step away from the sugary sound that made PB&J popular, Mr. Mor’n travels back to the days of his childhood when he was inspired by raw sounds with simple melodies and creates a neo-folk album that could be considered a throwback to the Paul Simon style of no frills fun. If this album carries a D-I-Y feel it’s because Peter himself plays most of the instruments. His is a very basic sound with a few added strings, synthesizers, percussion, and even a drum machine. Recorded in the small pockets of time he had between 2005 and 2007, this The Last Tycoon is something of a sketchbook of lyrics that don’t convey anything completely concrete, but rather shells of random thoughts flowing through his hand’written down to not be forgotten. Exuding the ultimate homemade feel, ‘This Is What I Came For’ utilizes the one instrument not heard nearly enough in music today, the hand clap. The guitar may be the main instrument, but the clapping really steals the show with a piano key struck every now and then giving an accent where one is needed. ‘Old Love’ screams of Beatles influence as it starts off like a scratchy record on a really old phonograph and bleeds into a full orchestra swell. And while it would put the song out of sync with the rest of the album, the only thing missing is a crescendo that would give it the powerful ending that opposes its vulnerable beginning. The prize here, ‘My Match,’ carries a conviction that Mor’n often grasps for, but can’t, or won’t, firmly hold. The guitar strings are strumed with a gentle force and a slow steady drumbeat persists in the background almost mimicking a heartbeat while the infrequent high pitches of the slide guitar add a light height to the depth of this tune. Going from a group to an individual project is always a difficult task. Is it going to be the same? Is it going to be different? Is it going to be better? Is it going to be worse? With The Last Tycoon, Mor’n has managed to separate himself from the group that made him popular without missing a beat, or rather by leaving that beat behind.
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