Broken Swenglish, Vol. 1 - EP

Broken Swenglish, Vol. 1 - EP

Back in 2008, Peter Moren (of Peter Bjorn and John) released a mostly unnoticed solo album sung in English. Entitled The Last Tycoon, the collection is a charming if slightly rumpled bit of pop sweetness, with piano and (mostly) acoustic guitar gently carrying that great voice full of dark tenderness and regret. After two solo Swedish-language records—quite enjoyable even in their lyrical mystery to American ears—Moren decided to rework some tunes from those releases, with English lyrics. The four tracks here are from those albums, with a Vol. II to follow. What a treat: Moren is a real pop treasure, and how wonderful it is to hear these songs transformed as he belts out the melancholy chorus on “Say My Name” or a verse of the Lennon-esque heartbreaker “Going Places.” “Constant Reaction” has the frothing energy of a PBJ tune, and “To Catch Up with You” has a surprise dash of jazz-itude that evidences Moren as being even more than a pop maestro.