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Twin Town High (vol. 8) |
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Pete Yorn: Nothing to Forget
Wednesday 23 April @ 12:56:41 |
 by Louis Lenzmeier
Last week, Pete Yorn released his second album, A Day I Forgot. It’s a more-than-suitable follow up to his hit debut, musicforthemorningafter, and Yorn pleasantly avoids the sophomore jinx. The Pulse recently had the opportunity to chat with the singer-songwriter as he prepared for his upcoming tour in support of the new album.
Pulse: What’s the difference between this album and your first album, musicforthemorningafter?
Yorn: This is definitely a more rockin’ album. You are going to hear heavier drums and plenty more “fun” songs, whereas my first album had more mellow songs. This album only has a couple of those. The general theme of this album is how times can move so fast. Sometimes I sit back and wonder “Wow, where the hell did all the time go?” Sometimes you miss those days when you are talking to old friends and living your life. It just seems to go by quickly.
Pulse: Can you describe your songwriting process for me?
Yorn: My songwriting process is even mysterious to me. I have little thoughts that come into my head and I need to get them down somewhere. It could be that I call my answering machine or whatever, but I need to get it down and then figure out where it goes from there later. The melody and phrasing come first for me and the lyrics seem to come later. I wouldn’t say that that’s always the case, but most of the time it is.
Pulse: Do you usually write by yourself and, if so, do you enjoy writing by yourself?
Yorn: I usually am writing by myself most of the time, and I do enjoy it for the most part. I seem to have a million ideas in my head and I’m just trying to formulate what they’re all about and get them down.
Pulse: Where did this batch of songs on the new album come from?
Yorn: These were songs that I had had written for some time and I just felt it was time to put them on a record. When it was time to make the record, it all came together quickly and everything went very well.
Pulse: Are there any artists where you just sit back and think, “Wow, they got it right on?”.
Yorn: Rhythmically, I think Interpol just got it. They use their layered guitars so well and they put it together so smooth. I just can’t get over the melodies of Elton John. He produces some amazing stuff and he’s done it this way for so many years. I certainly think Ryan Adams is up there and Lou Reed has always been a good inspiration for me. Of course, then there’s Springsteen.
Pulse: What is it about Springsteen that you admire?
Yorn: He just absolutely inspires me as an artist in general. I mean, he’s still producing all this great stuff after all these years and never lets down. It’s just the way that he carries himself as a rock star and all the class you can see from him.
Pulse: Tell me about a couple songs on the new album. Where did “Crystal Village” and “Burrito” come from?
Yorn: “Crystal Village” was just a melody that kept playing around in my head for some time. I was in the early stages of a relationship at the time that I wrote the words. It’s just about when you are dating someone for a little while and they do something out of the blue and you think “Why did they do that?” and you just want to remember where it once was and how it all started where everything was great and cool. “Burrito” was just something that came from hangin’ out with my friends when I was younger and just havin’ fun with the day. It is just sort of a nostalgic song for me and it’s very much a song that brings me back.
Pulse: You are talented at so many aspects of your career from your vocals to songwriting to playing so many instruments on your albums. If there was only one of these things that you wanted to do or one instrument that you wanted to play, what would it be?
Yorn: Well, it would have to be the drums. I mean, singing is very important to me, but the drums are what I learned and grew up on, so that is the most important to me. The drums are the heartbeat, it’s the engine room, it drives everything else. It’s where you get to take control and drive where the song is going and figure out how it’s going to get there.
Pulse: What can everyone expect at this show? Are we going to hear some covers like we have in the past?
Yorn: Everyone can just expect a damn good time. We are just so excited to get back out there and play for everyone. Yeah, I may throw in a cover or two.
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