Search - Pete Yorn, Scarlett Johansson :: Break Up

Laid-Back Charms

Richard Hine | 09/15/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Break-Up" is an album it's tempting to make excuses for in advance. Recorded over three days ("casual") back in 2006 ("not rushed to market") and now appearing in the shadow of Zooey Deschanel's and M. Ward's She & Him: Volume One ("not as good as...").



Plus, it's a "concept album." Another danger sign.



Still, I took the plunge. This album is my first investment in the music of Pete Yorn, but my second in Scarlett Johansson's musical career. Her 2008 release of Tom Waits covers "Anywhere I Lay My Head" didn't rack up a whole lot of plays on my iPod. But the song "Falling Down" is definitely worth a download (at the very least, check out the video with its Salman Rushdie cameo). Johansson's vocals got mostly lost in her Dave Sitek-produced debut. Here, they more than hold their own, with a bluesy delivery that works well against Yorn's laid-back vocals.



Yorn is said to have been inspired by the Serge Gainsbourg-Brigitte Bardot "Bonnie & Clyde" collaboration of the 1960s. And he seems to have found lyrical inspiration in the songs of the past, too, with many of the lyrics seemingly plucked from a familiar pop-heartbreak grab-bag.



If nothing else, perhaps Scarlett Johansson will do for Pete Yorn musically what she did for Woody Allen at the movies - attract some broader interest to help perk up his career. Which is maybe why the album is being taken off the shelf right now. Ultimately, as it tracks the course of a relationship, the album doesn't quite live up to its early, enthusiastic excitement ("Relator").



But there's no need to make excuses: "Break Up" is an album of considerable charms."

Freaking Awesome!

BTrain | Pioneer Square | 10/19/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ok, admittedly this music is very mellow and is stuff you might put on a playlist with a name like "Alone in the Dark," "Struck Out at the Bar Last Night" or "Just Got Dumped." For the kind of music it is I think this CD (or whatever you call a group of songs these days) is great. The only songs I don't really like too much are the "Blackie's Dead" songs since they don't quite seem to fit with the rest of the music for some reason. Song like "I am the Cosmos" are awesome though.



When I originally bought this I had some trepidation about Scarlett Johansen and her vocals on these tracks but they blend very well with the type of music it is. Her voice is much better than I expected but she still doesn't show that she has a very powerful voice like a Broadway singer or anything but, the cool thing, is that she didn't need to on any of these songs and for what she needed to do her voice worked very well.





Check out the songs and grab it you feel like you need some new kind of mellow music and don't be afraid of an actress trying to sing in this case."

3.5 stars... Short and quirky

Paul Allaer | Cincinnati | 10/03/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"2009 is proving to be a busy year for Pete Yorn, with the release of not one but two CDs in a matter of months: "Back and Fourth" was his 4th proper solo album, and now comes this duet album with none other than Scarlett Johansson. First things first: this album was recorded in 2006, yes, three years ago. No explanation has been offered why this has been sitting on the shelves for three solid years.



As to the album itself, "Break Up" (9 tracks; 29 min.) brings a collection of musical collages supposedly depicting a break up. Not that you can really pick that up from simply listening to the album. The opener "Relator" is the most mainstream-sounding song on here, with an easy upbeat rythm to it, and Pete and Scarlett truly dueting. After that charming opener, the tone of the album becomes much more introverted and reflective. I find the tracks that work best are the ones where Pete and Scarlett truly are collaborating, as opposed to the ones where you can bearly hear Scarlett (such as "Wear and Tear" and the closer "Someday"). On the other hand "I Don't Know What To Do" is a great little gem. My favorite track on this collection is "Shampoo", the perfect mix and interplay between Pete and Scarlett.



But at a mere 29 min., there is simply not enough material here to call this album fully fleshed-out. After repeated listening to the album, it simply feels like a fleeting moment, or an incomplete symphony. Much was made last year about Scarlett's singing capabilities when she released her frist solo album (recorded much later than this albu, incidentally). As then, I really find no fault with her singing. In all, for some reason I had huge expectations for this album, and I can't say theu were entirely met. There are nice enough moments on here, but just not enough of them. And did I mention that this collection lasts all of 29 minutes?"