To: Adam
Love: Dave
Date Sent: 9/27/2018
Pete Yorn – musicforthemorningafter
Release Date: March 27th, 2001
Keeping with your #DebutAlbum theme, here is a little ditty I like to bring out every once in a while. I have never met another person that enjoys or knows who Pete Yorn is, except for Xtina. But that is simply because I had persistently and systematically jammed him down her throat for the first 6 years of our relationship. But Adam, he is a talented singer/songwriter. This album came out in 2001, the same time as The Gorillaz #DebutAlbum. It’s interesting to think that these two very different styles of music were being created around the same time and even if they are absolutely the polar opposites of each other, we can still appreciate them 17 years later in a common thread of meaningful music.
I used to listen to this album on repeat, with an emphasis on ALBUM. I can listen to this straight through and not be disappointed. There are certainly stand out songs, with Just Another being my all-time favorite. I first heard Pete Yorn because the song Lose You was on the soundtrack for the movie Orange County. Yorn also had Strange Conditions on the soundtrack for Me, Myself & Irene. So many FUN FACTS Adam! He whines a little into the microphone, but I can deal with that because of the great music that explodes from this album. Though the music may seem simple upon first listening, the mixture of an acoustic-electric guitar with a sprinkle of timely distortion on some songs creates a unique-sounding album complete with a diverse array of tracks. Despite the diversity amongst the sound from track to track, he is able to establish a common mood for the album.
The lyrics and how they are delivered are what stand out if you are able to focus. Like others in the genre, he speaks about past relationships and that shit, but in the song Just Another, he is telling a story about a love he once had with a lady, but now she is… just another girl. The layout of the chorus speaks to a memory he has of watching his lady laying in the garden, with what seems like a mostly positive and warm experience, only to build up to the final line which dismisses her as just another girl. Though this dismissal could be interpreted as quite brutal, the artful storyline demands appreciation.
The album is littered with subtle moments that may not and potentially could not be picked up on with a casual listen. Yorn’s voice and laid back mood may portray this album as “just another” Alt-Rock artist, but with each successive listen, musicforthemorningafter sets itself apart from the noise of other records and crawls into your bones to give you that warm and satisfied feeling that music lovers crave.
The Favorites:
Adam:
Dave: Just Another