Sound: Rootsy rock with several flavors (jangly, hard strumming, atmospheric, electronic, spare acoustic) and vocal styles (moaning warble, achy and broken, echo-heavy and tortured falsetto in the vein of Jeff Buckley).
Heavy Rotation tracks: “Splendid Isolation” (a Warren Zevon cover originally appearing on the 2004 tribute album Enjoy Every Sandwich: The Songs of Warren Zevon); “For Us”
Medium Rotation tracks: “Undercover” (originally released on 2002’s Spider-Man soundtrack); “Georgie Boy”
Recommended: It’s rarely a good sign when the best song on your new album is a cover that you already released two years ago and the third best song was released four years ago. Not that this is a bad album. Pete Yorn always makes quality recordings that work quite well as background music. If you listen a little closer, though, his lethargic vocals and repetitive choruses can get boring pretty quick. My recommended tracks are the notable exceptions to this rule.
Grade: B-

(As posted 9/11/06 on davepowersmusic.com)

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