You might say that going solo is a rite of passage in the biz—right up there with a quick trip to rehab and groupie-love. But Behind the Music cliche or not, occasionally it has brought us pure rock 'n roll gold: Rod Stewart. Sting. Nick Cave. Feist. Colin Meloy.

And now Swedish indie crooner Peter Moren of Peter Bjorn and John looks to join those illustrious ranks with his solo debut, The Last Tycoon. After the success of last year's whistle-y gem of a song, "Young Folks", Moren has decided to strike out on his own (with help from friends in Concretes and the Tiny) with a more acoustic collection. The Last Tycoon, paradoxically named after Elia Kazan's filmic adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's final unfinished novel, wins in its simplest moments. Though the title is, as Moren says, "pompous and overblown," unadorned, lyrically candid songs like "Old Love" drive the low-key collection.

The blessing and curse of the solo venture is, of course, the built-in fan base. Will Peter Bjorn and John aficionados appreciate Moren's new direction? While the album maintains some of the buoyant optimism of his band's repertoire, it has a naked, slightly folk sound and is deliberately conversational in tone—a move he hopes will help audiences connect as he tours a roster of small venues over the next few months. Playing these snug shows will give him a chance to showcase the sound that he described to us as "very intimate and homey, like I'm sitting in your living room." Sounds cozy.

Can Moren be Ricky Martin without Menudo? George Micheal without Wham? Timberlake without the rest of those kids from *NSYNC? While we don't expect him to bring sexy back anytime soon, we do think that The Last Tycoon's quiet, Sunday-morning sound might just translate into solo gold!

We're giving away a pair of tix to check out Peter Moren when he comes through your town this spring. To enter, email us with your name, a contact number and the city where you live!

- Olivia Purnell

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Similar Topics:indie, music, solo debut, Swedish Playlist

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