Wow…that’s what I said as the drumbeat kicked into ‘Lose You’ by Pete Yorn. I listened to that song without any feeling of letdown for a few months consecutively. During that time, I was fortunate enough to be given a copy of the entire cd. And ‘Music for the Morning After’ proved to me that sometimes one song IS legitimately enough reason to buy an album
Pete Yorn plays all the instruments on this one, which is crazy. I mean, who does that? His alternative musical style mixes lush, dreamy ballads with catchy hard pop songs and it all flows so nicely. From “Life On A Chain (fast-paced pop/rock) to “Simonize” (soft and acoustic with dreamy vocals), the entire album is tight and the mix between fast and slow is almost perfect. For those of you into the slow dream sequences, Just Another, On Your Side and EZ are your cups of tea. For those of you into super-catchy, tempo pieces, Strange Condition, For Nancy and Sleep Better are your top picks. If you like both, then you’re in for a real treat- one will never tire from listening to Pete Yorn rock it…whether it be morning, afternoon, evening or late night!
Having absolutely loved Pete Yorn’s first album, I jumped at the opportunity when I saw ‘Day I Forgot’ in the music store. More Pete Yorn- I could hardly wait. But, perhaps expectations are not entirely helpful and really, the sophomore jinx may be truer than I thought. ‘Day I Forgot’ is good but not great.
Comparisons aside though, it’s a solid album. On this disc, Pete focuses more on the catchy pop/rock songs like For Nancy and Murray of the first album. There’s lots to like on this album- more catchy riffs, more toe-tapping beats, and more great harmonies. Dislikes- Pete’s voice does seem a little edgier and vulnerable (which is good and bad), songs blend together a bit, strong lyrical theme (not much diversity). On songs like Committed and Turn Of The Century, this is the case. However, there’s a little more variety in undertones of the album, a little jazz here and there, a little 80’s rock feel too (Carlos Don’t Let It Go To Your Head).
The direction that Pete’s heading in is good; it’s still unique and still very well done but it’s missing the dreamy, floating in the wind type sound that gave the first album such a kick. In closing, Crystal Village and So Much Work are great tunes that remind me of Old Pete-muzak and make me look forward to the future Pete-muzak!
By: Cousy
