OK, so Pete Yorn’s nickname is not “Pistol Pete,” or maybe it is. I don’t know him. But it should be. The guy fires off albums like it was high noon at Dodge City and someone had just spoken to his lady all wrong. His latest work is the self-titled “Pete Yorn,” and Pistol Pete is quick at the draw.
As far as studio albums go, “Pete Yorn,” is Yorn’s sixth album in less than ten years, although one album is last year’s duet with Scarlett Johansson, “Break Up.” Columbia Records signed Yorn in 1999, and he blew up after releasing album after album that won lots of critical praise. His track record includes brilliant, popular songs like “Life on a Chain,” “Come Back Home,” “Strange Condition,” and my personal favorite, which you should download immediately, “Crystal Village.”
Yorn fuses emotionally intro-spective lyrics, with powerful, distortion-laden riffs, which leave no doubt that what he’s making is rock music. This latest album is no exception. The opening track, “Precious Stone,” is Yorn singing of love lost, and love he can’t have, with catchy, arena-anthem type power.
He brings the volume down in the next track “Rock Crowd,” which is an easy-going, melodic ditty, the kind that brightens your day. Particularly so, in this case, because it’s a dedication to the fans and the “rock crowd” who come to his shows and share the music experience with him. Yorn continues to bring it on the rest of the tracks, making sure his amp is turned up loud, but his microphone is even louder.
Whether you know him or not, whether you like him or not, your preconceived notions will probably remain the same after listening to this album. It does nothing to sway your opinion. I like Pete Yorn and this album reiterates that for me. It’s more of the same Pete Yorn, but that’s good. Why fix it if it’s not broken?
Yorn is doing something right. He’s a talented musician and he’s making great music, and if he continues to make albums like this one, I would be OK with that. And if it turns out his nickname is, affectionately, Pistol Pete, that would be even better.
