Album Details

• Artist: Pete Yorn
• Album: Pete Yorn
• Label: Vagrant
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dadair on 2011-01-03

"I've found a way to live forever, I found a place where no-one cares."

His new found prolific song-writing nature is Pete Yorn's own way of living forever, as he uses a slightly howling 80s rock guitar chomp, brushing percussion and a Ryan Adam's/Jesse Malin vocal stride, ‘Precious Stone'. It opens out the 2008 impromptu recordings of this searching and sliding new album.

Foraging epic country stained tunes contrast with the rock underpinning and provide a thoughtful pedestrian paced slant to proceedings, ‘Rock Crowd'. Sombre rock takes over for ‘Paradise Cove 2', as Yorn's rugged vocals adopt a slower forlorn lag. The guitars chime and cry at the same time, before adopting a revolving trickle in order to facilitate the necessary repetition of the chorus.

Mood changes from reflective to determined, keeps you in a state of alert and also keeps Yorn sounding fresh. ‘The Chase', builds up from a jogging guitar and pottering percussion stage that sets things up nicely for the Neil Finn veined vocal slide. Pace switches aplenty gives this impromptu album some bite, with the revving instrumental build lending some meat to the bluesy rock drawl of ‘Always'. Although, it's the slow building acoustic trickle which illuminates the meandering ode to love, ‘Stronger Than' that provides the most bracing moment of all.

‘Wheels', finishes things off in a lobbing pop manner, acting as a testament to human nature and an acceptance of man's mortality:

"We're not afraid to write, we're not afraid to die. So come on wheels take me home today."

It's still plain to hear that Pete Yorn can still well and truly spin a musical yarn.

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