Pete Yorn - Nightcrawler

Genre rock Publisher Columbia Records External Links Official Pete Yorn Website Official Columbia Records Website

Nightcrawler. That name conjures up images of the X-Men character from my geek-addled brain. I figure Pete Yorn didn't name his new album because of some affinity with a comic book character, though. No, Yorn is the Nightcrawler in question. He's a guy that lives by the designs of the night. He's sexy, smooth, a little disturbed and troubled. Or at least he'd like to think that he is. Judging him by the bland, beer commercial-ready rock he makes here on his third studio release, one sees instead a man playing the part of a dangerous rocker, not actually being one.

Yorn's first album, 2001's Musicforthemorningafter was about half-good, giving people just enough to think that perhaps he had what it takes to be something special, someone to keep an eye on. By the time his 2003 follow-up Day I Forgot (more like Album Everyone Forgot) came, Yorn had been assailed by critics and fans alike for his penchant for lame live performances and now proved himself without merit on an album that was universally shat upon.

Nightcrawler isn't as crappy as Day I Forgot, but that isn't saying much. It's completely inoffensive, boring, bland, effortless and stiff. Yorn puts forth little energy into his singing or playing or his songwriting. On "Splendid Isolation" when Yorn sings that he wants "to be like Georgia O'Keefe / I want to live on the Upper East Side" you want to slap him. It's about the only time Yorn elicits any emotion in the listener, but obviously assault isn't the sort of inspiration he wants to bring out of his fans.

Dave Grohl makes an appearance on the second track, "For Us," to no positive effect. Butch Walker plays on at least one track as well as co-producing it, but he can't help Yorn from himself, either. Whatever. This is a real turd of a record and I'm shocked that it enabled me to write as much about it as it did.