Nightcrawler (Bonus Track)

From the onset, New Jersey-bred singer-songwriter Pete Yorn has sounded remarkably confident and assured. Partly, this is a result of smartly picking experienced producers who provide him with a seamless web of sound, but it’s also a reflection of Yorn’s intense study of classic rock moves. His cover here of Warren Zevon’s “Splendid Isolation” sounds as if the tune had been written specifically for Yorn, as he often sounds completely torn between a desire to express himself and a sincere wish to make the world go away. This emotional tug-of-war informs his best tunes (and vocals that often recall Eddie Vedder in the quavering intensity). The chilling melancholy of the gorgeous “Ice Age,” the swooping pop collaboration with the Dixie Chicks for “The Man” and the gripping downcast shadows of “Maybe I’m Right” and “Broken Bottle” are among Yorn’s best work to date. “Vampyre” opens things with an echo-ey weirdness that signals the dark ride ahead. “For Us” suggests Yorn has an arena rock future should he find his way out of the singer-songwriter closet where he often tucks his artistic head.