Thursday, May 29, 2003
Copyright © Las Vegas Mercury

Music: Like a friend

Pete Yorn connects through familiarity

By Mike Prevatt

Pete Yorn is one of a few singer-songwriters known for the songs he chooses to cover while performing live. Which is more than we can say about the familiarity of his covers--that is, at least on his recent tour, where he's having fun playing songs from the Stone Roses oeuvre.

"We've been doing 'She Bangs the Drums,'" says Yorn, relaxing before a show in New Orleans. "And for the five people in the crowd that get it, they really get it."

Yorn doesn't even bother mentioning "I Wanna Be Adored," another "hit" by the groundbreaking late '80s/early '90s English band he's throwing into setlists. Instead, he name-drops "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," the Ramones song he recorded for the recent tribute album, We're a Happy Family, and his version of the Cure's "In Between Days." "I'm always coming back to [songs I grew up with]," he says.

Yorn used to fill out a live show with covers--add other bleak '80s artists like Echo & the Bunnymen and The Smiths to his growing homage bank--primarily because he only had one album's worth of material to showcase. But now his teenage nostalgia kick seems in lockstep with the theme of his recently released sophomore album, Day I Forgot. No, he's not being sarcastic; the title belies the irony that, according to Yorn, the more he wants to disregard something, the more likely it is to imprint itself in his memory. While essentially making a concept album with such an idea posed a worthy challenge to the artist, he admits he's also just a sentimental guy.

"I like to push myself...into experimentation when it's called for," he says. "But at the same time, I'm nostalgic. For me, the record is about perspective, memory, understanding that you can't really have a sense of yourself unless you're connected to your past--good or bad--and you understand what it all means, and you can look back at it comfortably."

Yorn's musical foundation is based on guitar-driven rock that is less edgy, more straightforward. At its most conservative, it recalls the Wallflowers, Tom Petty and Bruce Springsteen; when he gets playful, his aforementioned '80s rock roots show. This enables him to get played on both modern rock and adult-oriented radio stations. Day I Forget isn't sonically far removed from Yorn's acclaimed, gold-selling debut, 2001's Musicforthemorningafter. The most noticeable difference this time around seems to be an added element of aggression--especially in "Carlos (Don't Let It Get to Your Head)," the thickened lead guitar recalling Jimmy Page or Tom Morello, and "Burrito," which sounds like a goofier Pearl Jam.

The overall consistency within Day I Forgot, and with Musicforthemorningafter, might be the result of Yorn handling almost all the instrumental duties on both records, which offered him additional freedom.

"I'd work in my friend's garage, so there's no pressure of the clock," says Yorn. "I would work multiple versions of a song. When I decide to do that, it's usually in the middle of doing the first version. And we go for it, as opposed to calling everyone to see if they can come over."

Yorn's music has been called "reliable" on more than a few occasions--something a listener can count on, like an old friend. He believes his music is more abstract than anything else, but he'll accept his dependability.

"I write the way I'm gonna write, not [how] anyone else thinks I should," says Yorn. "It's got to be natural. There's certain sensibilities I'm feeling, and that's gonna be on the records I put out. So being reliable is probably a good thing."