Any Pete Yorn album is cause for a well-tempered celebration. True, there have only been three so far: “musicforthemorningafter,” his brilliant, jangly debut; “Day I Forgot,” the lukewarm sophomore effort; and “Nightcrawler,” his newest offering. It's fantastic.
Some hardcore Pete Yorn fans grumbled when they discovered that this new album actually contains 13 new tracks and two previously-released songs: “Undercover,” which was featured on the “Spiderman” soundtrack, and a cover of Warren Zevon's “Splendid Isolation,” which was featured on “Enjoy Every Sandwich.” I would seriously urge those fans to reconsider their grumbling. “Undercover” is a kick-ass song, full of guitar and synth washes and the vocal stylings of a man who is clearly being chased by a large spider. Yorn's phrasing is improving with each album; like David Byrne, he makes certain that his lyrics fit snugly with his music. Sure, “And you live, and you try / I could never find another / If you walk me to the car park, I won't go” doesn't make a lot of sense out of context. But placed in the midst of grinding, crunching guitars, it makes perfect sense. “Policies,” my current favorite song, is an absolute mishmash of every instrument in the studio. The song crashes and bashes through verse / chorus / verse, culminating in a beautiful, ecstatic release of guitars and synths. It makes you want to jump up and down. “The Man,” his duet with two of the Dixie Chicks, is sweet and compelling. Written in an unusual time signature, it's hard enough to follow that we must pay attention at all times. Pete Yorn mixes the hell out of “How Do You Go On?” -- so much so, in fact, that it is impossible to make out most of the words sung in the jangling chorus. While this song bears a striking resemblance to “Do You Wanna Run With Me” from his first album, it is different enough to keep things interesting.
Apparently, “Nightcrawler” was the third album in a trilogy. Perhaps this means that Pete Yorn will shift his style for his next release. I, for one, hope not. He wears his influences (Smiths, R.E.M., Springsteen, the aforementioned Zevon) on his sleeve. This is good. As far as I'm concerned, if he keeps this up, the next Pete Yorn album will require a real celebration. Not well-tempered. A crazy, rockin' party. |