A moment of reckoning accompanies each artist's career with the release of his or her second album.It's a "make or break" situation -- the difference in being a one-hit wonder and a household name.Just look at artists and bands like John Prine, Weezer and Cake, all of whom failed in their second albums.This sort of pressure is what Pete Yorn faces in releasing his second album, "Day I Forgot."Luckily, he steers clear of the sophomore curse, producing a solid album that will further his career and draw almost as much attention as "Musicforthemorningafter."
Like Bruce Springstein, Yorn hails from New Jersey, which often invites shallow and unfounded comparisons to the Boss which overlook the uniqueness and originality of his voice and music.In fact, no single-person comparison does justice to Yorn -- like an exquisite entr?, he's a recipe of common items blended into an original taste. Furthering the dining analogy, the best way to judge Yorn is to taste the final product yourself without concentrating too much on the individual ingredients.
Yorn's rise to fame reads like a fantasy novel or a possible sales pitch on the American dream -- it's the kind of story that makes you believe anyone can make it big.
After winning a minor talent show in high school, Yorn went to college at Syracuse, where he continued to hone his musical skills.Upon finishing college, Yorn took his act to Los Angeles, where he made a name for himself with performances at Caf?Largo. Four years passed until a senior executive at Columbia records came across an acoustic version of Yorn's song "Life on a Chain."The executive immediately offered Yorn a recording contract, which culminated in his debut album in March 2001.
"Musicforthemorningafter" captured the workings of an eccentric artist who was destined to become a star.From the scratchy opening of "Life on a Chain" to the mellow flow of "June," Yorn enthralls listeners with a barrage of rock instruments, most of them played by himself. His new album, "Day I Forgot," continues to present an eccentric artist who cannot be placed in a single category and still insists on performing most of the instruments himself.
The only change is that "Day I Forgot" is mellower than "Musicforthemorningafter," perhaps showing that Yorn has matured since the release of his debut hit.
Like his first album, "Day I Forgot" begins with the sound of a scratchy record, although this track entitled "Intro" fails to redeem itself in fading into a hit song. Instead, the brief track ends after 45 seconds of a rather unfocused tune, making the listener wonder if Yorn is performing or just tuning up his voice and guitar. Perhaps the day Pete wants to forget is the day he recorded this track in the studio. Fortunately, the rest of the album is worth remembering.
The second track, "Come Back Home," reveals the first single off the album, having both a refreshing and redemptive feeling after the sour opening "Intro." While it lacks the charisma and character of "Life on a Chain," this track nevertheless will receive ample attention on the radio and MTV.Granted that the Yorn-Springstein comparisons are, for the most part, nonsense, one cannot help but notice that his baritone voice actually does resemble the Boss on this track.The resemblance seems rather intentional, given that Yorn's voice sounds different on other tracks.
The most memorable track on the album is the song "Man in Uniform."With its acoustic melody, catchy chorus and fluid movements, the track captures all of the creativity and emotion of "Musicforthemorningafter" in an acoustic form. Only a select group of artists, such as Led Zeppelin, the Doobie Brothers, Mark Melloan,and Ryan Adams, are able to maintain the same level of intensity as they alternate between fast and slow songs. In this outstanding track Yorn shows he belongs in this elite group.This single track embodies the maturity that two years has brought forth for Yorn.
In those two years since the release of his debut hit, people could not help but wonder if Pete Yorn had burned out with his first glimpse of fame. With a second album that rivals his first, however, Pete Yorn successfully avoids the sophomore curse proving he will be around for many years to come.
Read More
The best albums of 2014
By Noah Zeidman | December 4, 2014Across genres, it has been a pretty great year in music.
Top 10 movies of 2014
December 4, 2014This has been an excellent year for film, offering everything from gripping blockbusters to innovative personal films.
Iggy Azalea is “Reclassified”
December 4, 2014It has become common practice among music artists to repackage their albums in an effort to simultaneously boost single sales and dish out new content by slightly renaming the album or slapping “Deluxe” onto the title.
