Musicforthemorningafter: Just Another Forgettable Pop Rock Album?
Written: Jan 09 '03
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Great vocals, nice melodies, easy to digest...
Cons: Not "challenging" or even that intelligent...
The Bottom Line: A nice, easy going, fun album. Not exactly a classic, but Pete Yorn still shows some great promise.
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| lambchops's Full Review: Musicforthemorningafter by Pete Yorn |
Relief is a word the aptly describes the feeling when critical praise aligns with the actual quality of an album. And such is the case with the keenly sincere Pete Yorn debut Musicforthemorningafter.
Yorn is one in a long line of singer-songwriters. His talent, evidenced by his lyrics and musicianship, is of a rare kind. The New Jersey native somehow manages to be both creative and totally fascinating. With his 2001 debut Musicforthemorningafter, the world was introduced to a kind of musician who should have a long and gratifying career. Whether or not he can live up to his own impressive standards remains to be seen, but that should not discourage listeners from discovering Yorn.
Yorn experienced a relatively brief rise to fame, even at the age of 26. He’d functioned for a while as a drummer but eventually turned to singing and songwriting. Obviously the switch was a positive one. Not long thereafter, Yorn began scoring films (Me Myself and Irene, Orange County, Bandits) and television shows (Dawson’s Creek). These touches of fame were enough to push Yorn to write and co-produce his solo debut Musicforthemorningafter. The rest is history.
Musicforthemorningafter isn’t a perfect album, but considering the dire state of music it was a refreshing and warm release akin to the likes of Jeff Buckley, Rufus Wainwright, Jakob Dylan, and the wholly underrated Mark Lanegan (Screaming Trees). Even more impressive is the fact that the multitalented Yorn not only writes, he plays. Yorn is proficient with the guitar, drums, harmonica, keyboard, and various synth devices. And when these talents were combined with Brad Wood (percussion, strings, etc…) and Ken Andrews (producer, engineering, mixing) it should have come as no shock that Musicforthemorningafter would become a hit.
It is exceptionally easy to adore this album. But even with all the warm, fuzzy feelings I have for Musicforthemorningafter there are some minor issues that must be addressed. Probably the most notable issue here is that the album is neither conceptual nor does it yield hit singles. Yorn has the talent and at times he flaunts it, yet at other times he seems too comfortable in acquiescing to already common neo pop policies. At times it is easy to forget that he is not particularly innovative while at others Yorn sounds as though he has listened to one too many Brit-pop classics. Please don’t mistake my criticisms for a damnation, Yorn is a developing talent that should be closely watched in years to come. We’ll just have to wait and see if he will further mature.
Yorn’s fourteen tracks on Musicforthemorningafter are satisfying though not challenging. The songs work well in the background and while driving (they aren’t at all distracting) and for this reason it is clear why Yorn functions well in writing for film and television. Enjoyable and light describe Musicforthemorningafter well. Even occasionally emotional and quirky (though not too much so), it is hard to not enjoy at least a song or two here…if not the whole darned thing.
While Life on a Chain, Strange Condition and For Nancy are probably the most recognizable of tracks on this album, they are not nearly my favorite. Relatively strong for this age from the first note of Life on a Chain on, Musicforthemorningafter makes known that Yorn is an entertainer…even if the fact remains that the album isn’t a classic. Life on a Chain is absolutely lovely with pop beats paired with an effervescent melody and equally bright guitars. Much the same qualifiers apply to Strange Condition in which Yorn is markedly pensive yet as the song is seriously, it is important to note that it was a part of the Jim Carrey/Farrelly Brothers film Me Myself and Irene.
For Nancy is probably the most creative of the three biggest hits. A chipper pop-rock offering, the song builds upon itself both in melody and vocally. Yorn sounds wonderful. His voice is multi-faceted and both appealing on a rock level and on a pop level. Again, it’s hard not to love this album, this song, and this singer-songwriter.
But of the songs, my favorites are the dark, retro, and modest Just Another, the bleakly satisfying piano-driven Lose You, the energetic roots rock-influenced Murray, and the remarkably Brit-pop influenced Sense also are pleasurable. No songs on Musicforthemorningafter are horrible. In fact, nothing here is even close to bad. Yorn makes a bold effort on his debut and in many ways it pays off.
Should Yorn be awarded all of the praise? That’s a good question, but the music pretty much speaks for itself. Musicforthemorningafter is a clean, concise, easy album. It leaves you wanting more and desiring that Yorn break out of his self-imposed shell. He’s got a great deal of talent…if he’d only choose to use it.
Rating: 4/5 stars
Track Listing:
01. Life on a Chain | 02. Strange Condition | 03. Just Another | 04. Black | 05. Lose You | 06. For Nancy (Cos’ It Already Is) | 07. Murray | 08. June | 09. Sense | 10. Closet | 11. On Your Side | 12. Sleep Better | 13. EZ | 14. Simonize
Recommended:
Yes
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lambchops
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