The phonograph crackling that opens Pete Yorn's debut album is an appropriate gesture for an artist hailed as the best thing to come out of South Jersey since Bruce Springsteen. Actually, Yorn doesn't sound a thing like Springsteen, but he does possess a classic pop craftsmanship shared by tradition-minded singer-songwriters such as Neilson Hubbard and Elliot Smith. On the cool, infectious "Life on a Chain," Yorn's relaxed crooning evokes the spirit of Bruce Cockburn, while "Simonize," ostensibly a love song penned by Jack the Ripper, calls to mind Big Star-period Alex Chilton. Rhythmically, the part-time drummer and multi-instrumentalist (he scored the Farrelly brother's movie Me, Myself and Irene and plays most of the instruments here himself) leans toward the drone lilt of early New Order and Joy Division, resulting in a smooth fusion of American and Anglo influences that make Yorn a new artist well worth watching. --Bill Forman

 

1. Life On a Chain   14. Simonize

 

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