oh pete.

ask anyone that really knows me, and they will tell you that they know who i am marrying- pete yorn (hottie above). i know it, friends know it, i guess i just need to make sure he knows it, eventually. when we're ready to settle down and all.

in the meantime, pre-wedding bliss, pete's cranked out yet another album (love this man, an album almost every year the past 3 years, with tours ta boot!). this is his 7th album, if you count that thing he did with scarlet j last year, and his live from NJ albums (i do count them. why? because they are both awesome). i have also heard, via the grapvine/internet, that pete doesn't do a lot of official 'writing' of his music, that most of his music is essentially conceptualized prior to playing it with his band, and then they find a rhythm and record. i am not 100% sure if that's true, but i like the idea... and if he's done it 7 times, he is getting pretty good at it. so, without further ado, my dear readers...

bear with me. i am now going to attempt a musical review.

pete yorn's pete yorn has been spinning with me everywhere for the past few days: car, work, home. i'm already singing along to a few songs (love 'precious stone', 'rock crowd', 'paradise cove' and 'wheels') (oh, and all the rest of them too). while this new petey pete pete is good (he is ALWAYS good, that voice... that hair... those lyrics) t's a different sound from his usual indie rock, and i'm still taking it in.

his album with scarlett j had an indie, bohemian vibe to it, and was more true to the artist i think she is trying to invent herself into than the artist he already is. she made a good choice, having him accompany her on journey into music town. his last album, back and fourth, was a great, great tribute to his indie rock roots, i thought, and a fabulous combo of some new sounds and classic pete lyrics and beats.

this one, well, it's new. he's gone much more indie than rock, and i catch snippets that remind me of the black keys and other raw, indie bands with repetitive yet catchy lyrics and sounds- rough guitars and unpolished vocals make me feel like i'm listening to him actually rock out in his garage, or at least in a studio without lots of high definition gloss and finish. this one is missing a few of the somewhat nostalgically ballad-type songs that endear pete to my heart, but he pulls it off with the new sound, and his tribute to velcro shoes on track 3 reminds me of 'burrito' from 'day i forgot'.

the lyrics in this album are what really strike me: his attitude seems to be more ambivalent, almost more cavalier- like he's trying to show the nonchalant, i-dont-care-but-i-do kinda guy. he sings about lack of love (contrasting his other ballad- love songs in other albums) and in 'rock crowd', he even sings about his love and need for his fans to surrond him. sadly, the desperate, teenage girl inside me that is secretly hoping to woo pete is completley encouraged by these lyrics: i figure if he just met me i would totally fix all this existential sadness that he is bemoaning. in real life, i am a little disenchanted by his lyric 'i want you on top... i can see you anytime, so i don't' and am beginning to wonder if he is trying to reinvent himself as a rockstar rather than a heartfelt, indie artist true to his roots. that said, i realize that when i find a musical jewel like pete, (an artist i love and many don't know about), i am constantly worried that they will sell out and become the rage, then die out like a fading star or become cliched commercial soundstrack (read: jewel or bret dennen).

i would recommend pete to anyone, this album included. however, if you are a first time pete listener, i would not choose this album to introduce you to him- music for the morning after or day i forgot are classic pete tunes, and will allow you to fall in love with his sensitive yet rocker side. also, back and fourth picks it up a notch, and i think shows him really hitting his stride in terms of musical and lyrical genius. i would prescribe a cocktail of three main albums to showcase pete's amazingness: back and fourth, live from NJ, and pete yorn selftitled. rock on, readers.

and now, a letter:

dear pete,
how i love thee. your musical genius rocks my world, and you're not too shabby lookin' either. i've seen you quite a few times live-i'm that one girl, in the front, who knows all your songs? please note i am NOT the girl screaming about wanting to marry you or have your children; i have much more restraint than that, although i have been known to kiss your tour bus a time or two.

anyway, i think we'd be a great pair. i would counsel you on the road, making you and your roadies some rockin' cake-boss-like cakes, and you could sing songs about us. i could be your muse, maybe, and if i get on your nerves, i could just go for a run.

let me know what you think, pete.

love, kaci