Indie darling Yorn is an accomplished and well-respected singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist with a bevy of material in his oeuvre. With seven full-length albums to his credit, ranging from 2001’s Musicforthemorningafter to 2016’s ArrangingTime, Yorn is an exceptional talent in his own right and often credited with helping to usher in the resurgence of singer-songwriters in the early 2000s. His music has been featured in both film and television, he has been asked to perform at Carnegie Hall, and has toured the world with the truly eclectic likes of the Dave Matthews Band, R.E.M., Foo Fighters, Coldplay, and Crowded House.
Scarlett Johansson is a gorgeous and talented Hollywood diamond, an exceptional actress who is heavily in-demand. You have seen this beautiful woman on the big screen countless times, most recently starring in such films as 2012’s The Avengers, 2013’s Her, and the current blockbuster Avengers: Infinity War. Perhaps what you may not have known is that Johansson is a dedicated music lover with 2 full-length studio albums to her credit – 2008’s Anywhere I Lay My Head and 2009’s collaborative effort, Break Up – along with several EPs.
In fact, together, Yorn and Johansson have previously released the aforementioned Break Up, along with a 2009 EP, Live at KCRW.com. With their beautifully organic musical chemistry, why stop there? The Apart EP sees the pair rejoining their sonic forces to weave a collection of five beautifully-authored tracks, dance-y and light and yet with a reflective intelligence that promises that this is higher-level Indie Pop music.
Apart begins with Johansson’s sultry vocals on “Iguana Bird,” a sweeping duet of loving proportions with a softly cinematic feel to its intricate and beautifully-done instrumentation. Next, Yorn’s gritty, emotive vocals complement Johansson’s sweet lilt on the dream-a-daisical “Bad Dreams,” an admission that despite all the shining glories of life and love, there is still tension-filled struggles and fumbles, and that is perfectly okay. It is like melancholy Pop that will make you dance and think!
The atmospheric “Movies” sees Yorn holding down the bulk of the meandering, storytelling vocals, with Johansson popping in on the choruses to accentuate what he does so brilliantly. What this all results in is a track that indeed feels like it could appear in a film scene, a kiss in Central Park on a rainy autumn afternoon. Meanwhile, glittering guitars and Yorn’s raspy vocals begin “Cigarillo,” which smooths to a hip-swaying, steady beat in its choruses, which, indeed, feature the gentle whisper-soft vocals of Ms. Johansson. Ultimately, this feels like an Indie Pop offering that could score your next summer beach trip, top-down, surfboard in the back, and nothing but sunshine on the calendar.
Ultimately, they end with a familiar offering, “Tomorrow,” off 2016’s ArrangingTime, which receives a wonderfully funktastic dance-able remix that features Johansson’s sultry, fine wine vocals. You will be addicted! In fact, the entirety of Apart is infectious, wonderfully-composed Indie Pop that sets a standard for hip-swaying melodies alongside thoughtful lyrics, orchestrated by two scrumptiously complimentary voices and accompanied by nothing less than stellar musicianship.
In short, Apart merges the talents of Yorn and Johansson flawlessly, allowing the pair to elevate one another’s already-established abilities to the next level in a delicate serenity that is poetry to the ears. A wonderful little collection that will bring a slice of sunshine to your summer, CrypticRock give Pete Yorn & Scarlett Johansson’s Apart EP 4.5 of 5 stars.
Purchase Apart:
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