Customer Reviews

Musicforthemorningafter (with Bonus CD)

5 star:		(188)
4 star:		(35)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

I buy somewhere in the range of 100 CDs a year. Call it an addiction, my wife does! But, I'm in search of the perfect album. The album I can't stop listening to. I don't want one or two songs, I want the whole bleeping album to shine.

I'm was fairly amazed with last year's Badly Drawn Boy, Travis, and Coldplay album's. This year, Radiohead came back with a beautiful sleeper that will go down as one of the better albums of this decade... and now for the next great album!

Pete Yorn has somehow crafted a dramatically wistful piece of rock entertainment that has a balanced mix of rock, pop, and insightful lyrics that can quite possibly be compared to a blend of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. I don't want to sound overdramatic about this guy, but I see great things ahead for him. This album struck me! It struck me!

Take a few listens. Feel the songs, the melodies. Hear what Pete has to say. This album may not have a breakout hit. Maybe it won't be as huge as it should be. That's OK! Buy it! Listen to it! Tell your friends! They'll have new respect for you.

It's not accurate to loop together Pete Yorn and John Mayer. I own both of their "debut" albums. Here's the difference: on my grouchiest days, I find myself cutting out nearly all of Mayer's tracks, but Yorn on his worst day never drops below the jeweled quintet of "Strange Condition," "Black," "Just Another," "On Your Side," and "Sleep Better."

Where the heck did this guy come from? I heard his catchy Smithereens-like "Strange Condition" on a Boston alt-rock station, liked it, got over my distrust of all the pretty-boy-rockstar photos on the CD, and bought it used...and suddenly "Strange Condition" was only my fifth and sometimes sixth favorite song on this knockout debut album.

Folks, this guy makes pared-down rhythm-guitar-driven rock'n'roll ditties, or lushly melodic entrancing pop stuff. The key thing here is catchy melodies and irresistible hooks. The guy's voice is rough & quirky & confident and plays off perfectly against the melodic ear candy. It's completely buy-able. I keep thinking of who to compare him with, and it bodes well for Yorn's career, cuz he doesn't really sound like somebody's echo.

Oh, on track 14, the quirky "Simonize" goes silent at 2:50, but if you let it run and wait till 4:30, there's another little pop chestnut ("Girl Like You"...?).

I first heard "Strange Condition" about 2 years ago and was instantly hooked to Pete Yorn. I've had the advance cd of "musicforthemorningafter" for a few months and it's one of the best cd's I've heard in a long time. With so much fluff cluttering the music racks these days, it was nice to have a CD that I didn't have to skip over every other song. Yorn's voice is reminiscent of J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. with a touch of Dylan. He's got an amazing debut on his hands and I hope he gets his due respect for his talent. There's just something about this CD that you can come back to so often and just go "this is pretty damn neat." Check it out for yourself.

After fumbling thru countless CD's at Circuit City and not having any of them spark my interest... I went over to the listening table and put on the headphones and saw this "musicforthemorningafter" disc. Right away I thought it was Aerosmith's Joe Perry younger brother. I punched in the 1st tune "Life On A Chain" and thought, "It ain't hard rock, but it was definitely interesting... and good." I listened to most of the songs there at the store and then bought it. Now, one week later, I can say that this CD has not left the CD player in my car. Pete Yorn is the same as every other Dave Matthews or Wallflowers wannabe, but somehow indescribably different. Product & sound are good, his Bob Dylanesque stories are great, his technique is professional & polished (like maybe it's his 3rd or 4th CD). AND, he plays most of the instruments himself (electric & acoustic guitars, drums, bass, piano, handclaps & voice). Several of the songs are upbeat... I like the stuff that's made it to the radio here in the desert, "Life On A Chain", "Strange Condition" and "For Nancy". But, also check out "Black" and "On Your Side". There are several downers here as well... singing about relationships & breaking up, and most noticeably loneliness. Yorn emits a cool persona (even if he is from New Jersey... just kidding) and his off the beaten path tempo's are a joy to listen to. Thank you Pete Yorn & band for your work & perspiration.

Where to start on this brilliant album?

First off, one of the coolest things about it is that it sounds like Pete owns about the same collection of CD's that I do. That's just a personal thing, though.

More importantly, the way he expertly blends a lot of obvious (to me) influences is amazing. The Replacements ("Murray" and "Black" both sound like songs Paul would've written with pride), Pavement (definite Stephen vocals on some tunes), The Cure (the feel of most of the guitar solo's and the song On Your Side are pure Robert), and Dinosaur Jr (some serious J Mascis vocal inflections throughout- though Pete is a MUCH better singer) are the first that come to mind, but there are just so many others. You may have a lot of fun playing spot-the-influence as well.

Despite this, he does manage to avoid sounding derivative (this is no alt.nostalgia act, believe me) - mostly due to the sheer variety of alt/classic rock sounds/songs: a single song will remind you of like 5 different artists. When you can do this (so well) as an artist ... I call it making fresh music, since there is no way you can do something completely UNdone at this point in Rawk History.

Considering that he wrote all the songs (music and lyrics), plays drums, bass, guitar, and sings ... and produces, and engineers and ... you name it, he's obviously a studio and a musical wiz kid - not quite Prince (is that his name now?), but, you get what I'm talking about. As an aspiring musician myself, I must say I am extremely humbled by what Pete has accomplished on his debut.

This is the rare album you can totally get into listening to, and pondering, all alone in your room or car ... or you can crank it up at a party and have everyone totally grooving and asking you "Who is this? I love it!". If you are a fan of rock, pretty much any kind of rock but esp. alternative circa 1990, you can't go wrong with this disc. My favorite debut since Grace by Jeff Buckley (r.i.p. Jeff you will always be the MAN!), this one rocks with feeling, conviction, sublety and power. Most importantly, not one single song sucks, though some are a little slow toward the end. Wish he'd have included Rooftop instead of, say, EZ, but that's a minor complaint...

So anyway, Rock On, Pete! I WILL be at your next gig in the Bay Area. Everyone else, do yourself a favor and GET THIS DISC!

And as The Cure once said: "This music on this disc has been mixed to be played loud, so TURN IT UP!"

Its been very hard lately to find a new artist who creates such excitement around his debut album like Pete Yorn has. But the hype and praise is well-earned and proven true in Musicforthemorningafter. The album is a breath of fresh are from the obnoxious sounds of the rap-rock genre that had become so popular about two years ago. In fact with David Gray selling a good amount of records and Yorn, I have cause to wonder if the next big craze after teen pop and rap-rock will be earnest male singer-songwriters.

Yorn's sound blends in elements of David Gray and the Wallflowers and creates a seductive fusion of American roots rock and Britishpop that will have you singing along to just about every track.

I firts hear Yorn back in late summer of last year while watching the film that he scored (and had a song in the soundtrack) Me, Myself and Irene. Seeing as how he didn't have an album, I checked found many tracks to download. Most of the tracks never ended up on the album, which leaves my brain sparking with ideas about what he may do with them, and keeps me secure in the idea that a sophomore album isn't too far down the line.

It is definitely obvious that Yorn has taken a good dose of influence from ex-Smith singer Morrissey (He personally thanks him in the liner notes). The songs "Sense" and "Simonize" are topics and approaches that Morrissey was well known in capturing in his solo albums and old Smith's records.

But Yorn shows characteristics of other well known artists. His lazy, drowning voice reminds the listener of a less nasal Bob Dylan, or a more loose sound Springsteen. True the man has been compared to "the Boss", but those kind of comparisons really don't give a glimpse into the kind of work Yorn is producing or what he wants from the music.

The lazy and fun sound on Musicforthemorning after is the work of a man who has been playing music for quite sometime now and would like to keep playing it his way and for the rest of his life as a career. And judging from such a strong debut, and from the knowledge of knowing how many songs didn't make it on to the record it can be said that Yorn definitely has a future in the biz, prefereably a long one.

After listening to "musicforthemorningafter" for about 4 days straight, I was prepared to come onto ... and tell the world about my discovery. I have to admit, it was a double-edged sword to see that I was not exactly breaking new ground with the unearthing of the infectious and amazing talent of Pete Yorn. On the one hand, it's always nice to be one of the first, but on the other hand, seeing the universal affirmation that has been bestowed on Yorn's debut is like falling into a soft comfy blanket, which is what the album has become to me.

Like many, I was first pulled in by "Life on a Chain." A friend of mine told me that she went to school with Yorn and that I should pick up his CD immediately, which I did. Now, songs like "Black," "EZ," "Murray," and especially "For Nancy" and "Just Another" have been burrowed so far into my brain that I don't need headphones or a stereo. Yorn's music has become the soundtrack to my waking and dreaming life.

In a week where we've been forced to face the grim realities of a senseless tragedy, I am so happy to join you all in celebrating Pete Yorn's coming out party.

A friend of mine asked me if I had heard anything from Pete Yorn. I said no. A few days later, he asked me if I had bought the album yet. I said no. About a week later he asked me again. I said no. Well, this morning I strolled into my favorite music store, looked on the new release wall, and saw his album sitting on the shelf. I asked the the clerk about it and he described it as kind of a more urbanized Matthew Sweet with really strong lyrics and GREAT music. He handed me the promo so I could sit down at one of the players and take a listen.

From the moment "Life On A Chain" kicked in, I was sold. I didn't even do a run-thru on the tracks. I just grabbed a copy of the shelf and bought it.

This guy has style and I'm glad I picked it up. The album is full of heart felt lyrics and honest emotion, that you can tell, comes straight from his heart. Every song, not just a few, is an emotional journey from the awesome "Life On a Chain" to the really intimate "Strange Condition". If neither one of those songs grab you, "For Nancy ('cos it already is)" certainly will. I haven't had quite enough time to absorb the whole album yet, but I know I've found a keeper.

Pete Yorn is a true singer/songwriter in the same vein as Steve Earle and Bruce Springsteen (whom he sounds nothing like). You can call this whatever you want: rock, pop, alt-country, it doesn't matter. It's just great music that I think pretty much anyone can relate to. Afterall, that's what the spirit of rock and roll is all about, right? I love it.

If you enjoy this, you may want to check out David Mead. He is also quite good.

I bought this cd solely on a recommendation from a friend that it was good rock and roll, and that I probably would not like it. But instead, I was pleasantly surpised: It was good rock and roll that I did enjoy with some subtle twists that made it more interesting.

One of the remarkable qualities to Pete Yorn is his deep, breathy voice. The guitar playing is rather bland, but the vocal quality of the CD is magnificent. This can be said for almost all of the tracks, including my personal favorite on the CD, "Sense." Yorn keeps each instrument on an individual voice, creating a rich, deep sounding band to back his increadible lyrics.

The mix on this cd is also impressive, a sign of a bigger budget. But it was well spent on Yorn's impressive writing. Tracks like "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" and "Just Another" show Yorn's knack for writing a great song with a meaningful basis, a trend that's continued throughout the entire album.

In short, one of the better debuts and cds of the year. Can't wait for his next one.

Unquestionably an essential from 2001. Pete Yorn's primary talent is in crafting songs that are incredibly melodic and still retain all of the honesty, mystery, and intensity that one rarely finds together, nevermind in anything so catchy. Perhaps he's absorbed this ability from one of his idols, The Smiths. His talents also lie in production, and on Musicforthemorningafter he deftly combines his love of britpop's catchiness and brightness with his passion for americana roots rock, and the result is utterly charming and accessible, even if tinged by what he calls his "darkness" or "pessimism."

His lyrical subject matter mostly involves relationships that have ended or are ending. Notable exceptions are "Murray", "Sense", and "Simonize", which deal with Brian Wilson's father, Cole Sear of The Sixth Sense, and Jack the Ripper, respectively. However, the lyrics, which are pretty good, are largely irrelevant in the face of the music. I heard "you're so in love with me/ i'll show you thing's you've never seen" for months until reading the CD booklet and discovering the line was "Is something wrong with me?/ I show you things you've never seen" in the song "Sense."

The best songs are those which evoke the good-old-american-rock side of Yorn, like "Life on a Chain," "Strange Condition," and most especially "Murray." But hey, the album has 14 tracks and i've never skipped a single one. Everywhere you go, you'll hear this album praised. Believe it, and buy it.