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I'm was fairly amazed with last year's Badly Drawn Boy, Travis, and Coldplay album's. This year, Radiohead came back with a beautiful sleeper that will go down as one of the better albums of this decade... and now for the next great album!

Pete Yorn has somehow crafted a dramatically wistful piece of rock entertainment that has a balanced mix of rock, pop, and insightful lyrics that can quite possibly be compared to a blend of Bob Dylan and the Beatles. I don't want to sound overdramatic about this guy, but I see great things ahead for him. This album struck me! It struck me!

Take a few listens. Feel the songs, the melodies. Hear what Pete has to say. This album may not have a breakout hit. Maybe it won't be as huge as it should be. That's OK! Buy it! Listen to it! Tell your friends! They'll have new respect for you.


Pure Pop   February 8, 2003
 19 out of 19 found this review helpful

It's not accurate to loop together Pete Yorn and John Mayer. I own both of their "debut" albums. Here's the difference: on my grouchiest days, I find myself cutting out nearly all of Mayer's tracks, but Yorn on his worst day never drops below the jeweled quintet of "Strange Condition," "Black," "Just Another," "On Your Side," and "Sleep Better."

Where the heck did this guy come from? I heard his catchy Smithereens-like "Strange Condition" on a Boston alt-rock station, liked it, got over my distrust of all the pretty-boy-rockstar photos on the CD, and bought it used...and suddenly "Strange Condition" was only my fifth and sometimes sixth favorite song on this knockout debut album.

Folks, this guy makes pared-down rhythm-guitar-driven rock'n'roll ditties, or lushly melodic entrancing pop stuff. The key thing here is catchy melodies and irresistible hooks. The guy's voice is rough & quirky & confident and plays off perfectly against the melodic ear candy. It's completely buy-able. I keep thinking of who to compare him with, and it bodes well for Yorn's career, cuz he doesn't really sound like somebody's echo.

Oh, on track 14, the quirky "Simonize" goes silent at 2:50, but if you let it run and wait till 4:30, there's another little pop chestnut ("Girl Like You"...?).


AN AMAZING RELEASE FROM A FRESH NEW ARTIST!!   March 28, 2001
 14 out of 14 found this review helpful

I first heard "Strange Condition" about 2 years ago and was instantly hooked to Pete Yorn. I've had the advance cd of "musicforthemorningafter" for a few months and it's one of the best cd's I've heard in a long time. With so much fluff cluttering the music racks these days, it was nice to have a CD that I didn't have to skip over every other song. Yorn's voice is reminiscent of J. Mascis of Dinosaur Jr. with a touch of Dylan. He's got an amazing debut on his hands and I hope he gets his due respect for his talent. There's just something about this CD that you can come back to so often and just go "this is pretty damn neat." Check it out for yourself.


Just buy it, the Happiness will come.   May 9, 2001
 14 out of 16 found this review helpful

Its been very hard lately to find a new artist who creates such excitement around his debut album like Pete Yorn has. But the hype and praise is well-earned and proven true in Musicforthemorningafter. The album is a breath of fresh are from the obnoxious sounds of the rap-rock genre that had become so popular about two years ago. In fact with David Gray selling a good amount of records and Yorn, I have cause to wonder if the next big craze after teen pop and rap-rock will be earnest male singer-songwriters.

Yorn's sound blends in elements of David Gray and the Wallflowers and creates a seductive fusion of American roots rock and Britishpop that will have you singing along to just about every track.

I firts hear Yorn back in late summer of last year while watching the film that he scored (and had a song in the soundtrack) Me, Myself and Irene. Seeing as how he didn't have an album, I checked found many tracks to download. Most of the tracks never ended up on the album, which leaves my brain sparking with ideas about what he may do with them, and keeps me secure in the idea that a sophomore album isn't too far down the line.

It is definitely obvious that Yorn has taken a good dose of influence from ex-Smith singer Morrissey (He personally thanks him in the liner notes). The songs "Sense" and "Simonize" are topics and approaches that Morrissey was well known in capturing in his solo albums and old Smith's records.

But Yorn shows characteristics of other well known artists. His lazy, drowning voice reminds the listener of a less nasal Bob Dylan, or a more loose sound Springsteen. True the man has been compared to "the Boss", but those kind of comparisons really don't give a glimpse into the kind of work Yorn is producing or what he wants from the music.

The lazy and fun sound on Musicforthemorning after is the work of a man who has been playing music for quite sometime now and would like to keep playing it his way and for the rest of his life as a career. And judging from such a strong debut, and from the knowledge of knowing how many songs didn't make it on to the record it can be said that Yorn definitely has a future in the biz, prefereably a long one.


All Songs Written By Pete Yorn...   October 12, 2001
 12 out of 12 found this review helpful

After fumbling thru countless CD's at Circuit City and not having any of them spark my interest... I went over to the listening table and put on the headphones and saw this "musicforthemorningafter" disc. Right away I thought it was Aerosmith's Joe Perry younger brother. I punched in the 1st tune "Life On A Chain" and thought, "It ain't hard rock, but it was definitely interesting... and good." I listened to most of the songs there at the store and then bought it. Now, one week later, I can say that this CD has not left the CD player in my car. Pete Yorn is the same as every other Dave Matthews or Wallflowers wannabe, but somehow indescribably different. Product & sound are good, his Bob Dylanesque stories are great, his technique is professional & polished (like maybe it's his 3rd or 4th CD). AND, he plays most of the instruments himself (electric & acoustic guitars, drums, bass, piano, handclaps & voice). Several of the songs are upbeat... I like the stuff that's made it to the radio here in the desert, "Life On A Chain", "Strange Condition" and "For Nancy". But, also check out "Black" and "On Your Side". There are several downers here as well... singing about relationships & breaking up, and most noticeably loneliness. Yorn emits a cool persona (even if he is from New Jersey... just kidding) and his off the beaten path tempo's are a joy to listen to. Thank you Pete Yorn & band for your work & perspiration.