Musicforthemorningafter

03/27/2001 7:46 PM, LAUNCH
Mike Lipton

Drawing the best elements from Americana twang-rock and jangly Britpop, New Jersey singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Pete Yorn has quickly made a name--and a career--for himself. Well before the release of his debut, the melodic "Strange Condition" and "Just Another" (both included in this set) were tapped for the Jim Carrey film Me, Myself And Irene. Unlike many near-solo efforts that sound like the work of one person (Yorn plays most of the instruments on all 14 tracks), musicforthemorningafter sounds like the work of a band thatÆs hitting on all cylinders. With a deep well of ideas--like Fountains Of Wayne/Ivy main man Adam Schlesinger--Yorn gives each tune its own distinctive personality. Yet songs like the chiming "Black," the driving and pleasantly-ear-bending "For Nancy ('cos it already is) and the dreamy Big Star-like "Simonize" flow so naturally, youÆll warm up to them instantly. Beyond the melody and tasteful playing ("Closet is nothing if not irresistible), Yorn embellishes the tracks with a beautiful sonic touches--E-Bow on the gorgeous "On Your Side"; a repetitive acoustic guitar line in "Sleep Better"; a violin passage on "EZ"--not to mention more relationship truisms than a lad his age should comprehend. While diving into 57 minutes of music is a tall (and often fruitless) order, this is a disc that's well worth the time it takes to explore the many cracks and crevices.