Day I Forgot

1	Intro 0:47
2	Come Back Home 3:24
3	Crystal Village 3:46
4	Carlos (Don't Let It Go to Your Head) 3:29
5	Pass Me By 3:51
6	Committed 3:29
7	Long Way Down 3:38
8	When You See the Light 2:43
9	Turn of the Century 3:03
10	Burrito 2:45
11	Man in Uniform 2:41
12	All at Once 8:57
13	[Silence] 4:53
14	So Much Work 4:49

Barnes & Noble

L.A. songwriter Pete Yorn juggles the roles of pop dreamboat and slacker iconoclast with surprising ease, mixing sensually crooned choruses and lazy melodic shuffles that recall nothing so much as Paul McCartney after a transfusion from Ryan Adams's bloodstream. On his sophomore outing, Yorn mostly sticks to his introspective one-man band formula, breaking out only to wag his head, Jimmy Page–style, on the boogie-fest "Carlos (Don't Let It Go to Your Head)." The haze that envelops many of Day I Forgot's songs isn't thick enough to obscure what's going on in Yorn's universe, but it is sufficient -- particularly on "Long Way Down" and "Pass Me By" -- to cut off contact with what's going on in the world outside. Several tunes are decidedly more crisp and succinct than anything that appeared on his breakthrough album, Musicforthemorningafter: "When You See the Light" has a chiming, Badfinger-like vibe to it, while "Burrito" is as smart and sunny a tribute to dining at a 7-Eleven as rock has ever produced. A fine soundtrack to a season where the livin' is easy. David Sprague

All Music Guide

Perhaps the most appealing aspect of Pete Yorn's 2001 debut, Musicforthemorningafter, was its seamless combination of quirky, Brit-pop-influenced production and rootsy, tuneful songwriting. Day I Forgot, Yorn's sophomore effort, scales back the Smiths-influenced guitar work, scratchy-old-record sound effects, and delicate acoustic balladry in favor of a more straightforward approach. After the unnecessary 47-second opener, "Intro," Day I Forgot buds off to an impressive start with "Come Back Home" and "Crystal Village," a pair of the upbeat yet desperate rockers that will remind Yorn's audience why they started listening to his work. Unfortunately, the pace slackens with "Carlos (Don't Let It Go to Your Head)," which is dominated by an overblown, rudimentary guitar riff and for the most part unintelligible lyrics instead of Yorn's traditional mark-up, catchy melodies and emotive vocals. The rest of the album is comprised of well-crafted, earnest, midtempo numbers that, while certainly above average as a whole, tend to blend together. Luckily, Yorn throws in a wild card just as Day I Forgot threatens to coast to an agreeable yet lackluster conclusion. "Burrito"'s lyrics are undeniably goofy, but Yorn pulls them off by pairing them with fierce guitar work and an infectious, urgent chorus. It's the most unabashedly energetic (and fun) song of the set, and stands out in much the same way that "For Nancy ('Cos It Already Is)" did on Yorn's previous release. Ultimately, Day I Forgot lacks the emotional poignancy and experimental sonic character present on every track of Musicforthemorningafter, which was so intricately detailed that repeated listens were not only rewarding, but mandatory. However, it's hardly a disappointment. Enough quality material is present to keep Yorn near the top of the list of rock's up and coming singer/songwriters. But while fans were more than happy to spend two years listening to Musicforthemorningafter while waiting for his follow-up, they may have trouble spending that much time with Day I Forgot before his next release. ~ Mark Vanderhoff, All Music Guide