here's a review i wrote that was published in the college paper i write for.
On August 29th, Pete Yorn’s third album, Nightcrawler, was released nationwide. Amazon.com calls it the final chapter in “a day in the life”, and couldn’t be more accurate. The CD is the last in a series, evident in the titles: musicforthemorningafter, Day I Forgot, and Nightcrawler.
Yorn first burst onto the scene in April of 2003 when he quietly released a mellow album called musicforthemorningafter. His debut received critical acclaim for its easy-going tunes and ability to find a song for every feeling. Songs like “Just another”, “Life on a Chain”, and “Strange Condition” became the hit tracks off the album. Rolling Stone gave the CD a four star rating.
After spending time touring, composing the score for film “Me, Myself, and Irene”, and releasing a sophomore album, Day I Forgot, Yorn was ready to begin work on his third official album. In between the studio work and the final release, he performed small shows on the West Coast at places like The Roxy and Lou’s Records, often allowing fans to sample his work before it was finished. Word spread like wildfire that a new album was in the works, and fans got their wish when he announced the release as well as a world tour.
Nightcrawler “is not so much for the night,” Yorn said, “but for a later period in my life. The perspective I have comes from having lived more and experienced more.” It is a wise man’s P.O.V., and he wants listeners to get what he is trying to say.
Yorn insists that in order to get the right opinion about the album, one has to listen to the entire thing. The placement of the tracks on the album is very important to him, as he tries to create a flow within the music.
The first song on the album, “Vampyre”, begins as a raw, depressing tune, giving the impression of a questionable album. But nearly two minutes into the song, Yorn breaks down into the scorched guitar riffs he is known for and brings the song back up.
“It was important for me to start the record off with just my voice and guitar,” Yorn said in an interview released on his website. “I wanted it to be very bare bones like that.”
The second track, “For Us”, is easily the best song on the entire album. It has all the characteristics of a Yorn song, from his soft voice to a catchy drum beat and upbeat choruses. Foo Fighters front man Dave Grohl sat in on drums for this song, which was released as the album’s first single.
“Bandstand in the Sky”, a crowd-favorite song performed live at shows, was included on this EP. The song was written on the day Jeff Buckley died. Though Yorn and Buckley were not friends, he was a fan and felt connected to him musically. The version on Nightcrawler is a slower version than what he performs live.
“Broken Bottle”, “Splendid Isolation”, and “Same Thing” are other notable tracks on the album. Each one gives the classic Pete Yorn vibe his fans have come to love, the feeling of making memories. Not too fast, not too slow, just enough to make someone nod their head. For fans that worry about this album’s distance from musicforthemorningafter, it hasn’t strayed too far. Yorn is still just a kid from Jersey playing his heart out for his audience.
Nightcrawler, as well as all other releases, can be picked up on amazon.com or his personal website, www.peteyorn.com.
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