Album Essentials: Pete Yorn "muiscforthemorningafter"

By Dave Swanson - Summit FM Contributor

"I was so proud of it," Pete Yorn told Spin about his debut album,'Musicforthemorningafter.' "I remember when I was making it, I felt like I didn’t compromise anything." Yorn released his debut album back in 2001, and the album has not only aged gracefully over the past twenty plus years, but sounds fresher than ever.

The singer/songwriter path may not have been the flavor of the day when first released, but that has added to the lasting strength here. Yorn not only wrote the songs and co-produced, but played all the instruments as well…a sometimes tricky path, but if navigated properly is perfect for the artists vision. Everyone from Paul McCartney to Todd Rundgren, Prince to Emitt Rhodes are proof of that. The trick, so often, is to make it sound like a band. Yorn succeeds, and then some.

Yorn had signed with Columbia Records and got to work with producer friend Walt Vincent, but the label wanted some outside hands in the mix, and producer Brad Wood, a well-respected man behind the board for a laundry list of indie rockers. Wood just kind of lent his hand to the proceeding already rolling, and the input of all three did the trick.

The album kicks off with the complete conviction of 'Life on a Chain,' which sets the bar pretty high for the rest of the album. Songs like 'Black,' 'Strange Condition,' and 'For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)' all have a thick 'alternative' vibe running, from the school of Britpop back through to early R.E.M., with a nod to 60s folk rock and brought up to 2001 reality, which Yorn confirmed.

"I love Britpop so much, like the Smiths, Oasis, the Cure, Stone Roses, Ride, Blur all that stuff,” he said. "I was also, at the time, a huge fan of roots-rock Americana, the Band, Neil Young, Beach Boys, Bruce [Springsteen] of course." All these influences gave the album the edge it needed. Call it what you want, but it's a rock and roll record!

Quieter moments like 'June' and 'EZ' sit next to the kinetic indie pop of 'Closet,' and the moody, semi psychedelia of 'Simonize,' adding to the album's variety which, of course, adds to the lasting appeal of the album, which is, perhaps, why it was certified Gold. Yorn created something special here without question.