lambchops's Full Review: Day I Forgot by Pete Yorn
Singer-songwriters are a dime a dozen. On the other hand, singer-songwriters with any actual talent are few and far between. Even rarer in this culture of disposable pop (often disguised as heartfelt rock or balladeers) is to find a young, contemporary man of such a caliber. Pete Yorn proved himself part of this small populous beyond a doubt on his 2001 debut Musicforthemorningafter.
Unfortunately, Musicforthemorningafter was his debut. And as such whether or not the New Jersey native had more in him than a mere one hit wonder was definitely up for debate. Yorn is an anomaly. He didn’t even get a record deal until a lucky break on the soundtrack for the film Me, Myself, and Irene. All of his little duckies fell into a row soon thereafter, and so he birthed Musicforthemorningafter. The album was damn good for an unproven singer-songwriter. Songs including Life on a Chain, Strange Condition, and For Nancy were appealing gems that likened him to talents like Rufus Wainwright, Mark Lanegan, and Jeff Buckley.
Despite pretty wholly appreciating the debut, I questioned Yorn’s staying power. Could he do it again? The answer lies only slightly obscured on 2003’s Day I Forgot. It begins with a slightly rough introduction, but this brief prelude does a nice job of setting the stage for the rootsy, acoustic talent. His voice is immediately alluring, almost to the point of timelessness. Not only is Yorn’s voice timeless, but his songs are genuinely appealing. He bridges gaps, fills in holes, and above all other things demonstrates that he doesn’t believe in sophomore slump. But there is one issue I have with Day I Forgot...it seems little more than a continuation of the sharp debut. It would have been nicer to see him go elsewhere and in different directions, but fans of the rocker will have to settle for simple complacency. But that’s better than horrible inadequacy.
I think some of the complacency shown on this new offering has to do with the utilization of the same producer, Brad Wood. While it is nice to have some consistency throughout a music catalogue, new blood often brings different facets into a work. Here, Yorn just solidifies the fact that he can write nice, melodic songs. And considering the unusually dire state of the industry as of late (in comparison to the early and mid-1990’s specifically) I couldn’t really hope for much more.
Come Back Home and Crystal Village are both equally shimmering songs. But as with his debut, even if the songs sound good on the surface they lack depth and meat just beneath. The guy can sing and play, but he can’t write lyrics worth a damned. These tracks in particular speak to the quality of the rest of the disc. Shimmering mid-tempo pop-rock with a heart made of solid gold, Come Back Home could easily pop up on a soundtrack here and there. Crystal Village is slightly less plugged in. It speaks to the child in me. It feels on many levels like a modern day Simon & Garfunkel outing. Yorn’s voice is chipper and sing-songy. And even though it may seem annoying, he does not in reality sound annoying.
Carlos (Don’t Let It Go to Your Head) leans toward blues-rock, but something about the track and the distorted, muffled vocals doesn’t seem to fit too well. Yorn is better elsewhere, like on the whistful and melodic Pass Me By. Another contender for “album best,” the track perfectly envelopes everything about Yorn I most appreciate. He sounds great, his acoustic guitar is the focal point, and Wood doesn’t sacrifice melody in lieu of heavy production. It works well.
As the album progresses, there are some songs that sparkle. Committed and When You See The Light are particularly notable here. Where Yorn shines most brightly is on the mellow mid-tempo rockers. Though, he does trade in his modest energy for solid melancholy on All at Once and So Much Work. I prefer him more chipper, but then again I can respect the guy for trying to change things up.
I can’t say that I appreciate Day I Forgot as much as Musicforthemorningafter. Yorn manages to hold my attention for the length of the album, though he doesn’t get too creative or try anything new. In a perfect world, Yorn would have boned up on his words.
The words you never cared to say
I want to find a better place
When we rely on something more than this
And even as I try to sleep
I'm looking for my best friends
Verses like that do little to lend credence to Yorn’s writing skills. But then again, I can’t help but enjoy the songs. They are lazy, cool, mellow, lovely rock on the whole…even if they aren’t particularly inspired.
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up)
Track Listing:
1. Intro/Come Back Home
2. Come Back Home
3. Crystal Village
4. Carlos (Don't Let It Go to Your Head)
5. Pass Me By
6. Committed
7. Long Way Down
8. When You See the Light
9. Turn of the Century
10. Burrito
11. Man in Uniform
12. All at Once
13. [silence]
14. So Much Work
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