I'm going to go back and forth about back and fourth

Sometimes it pays to listen to an album in advance of buying it.

Sometimes it doesn't pay to listen to an album in advance of buying it.

On rare occasions, it pays and doesn't pay.

I'm in one of those situations right now. Pete Yorn has a new album out tomorrow called Back and Fourth. I've been getting excited about it, but I've also read reviews that aren't favorable. Since the album is streaming now on Pete's Myspace, I decided to sample the songs and see if I like them from a first impression.

Here's my impression: It's not as strange as Day I Forgot, but it doesn't have all the catchy hooks and riffs of Nightcrawler. Nightcrawler is the album that made me a Pete Yorn fan again. I think Back and Fourth could be a grower, but I'm worried that it doesn't grab onto you like his first and third albums. I didn't hear too many songs that made me want to buy the album now.

The good news is that I know what to expect when or if I buy the thing. The bad news is that I'm not as excited about it anymore. As much as I like Pete Yorn, do I really want to buy the new album yet even if it doesn't sound as good as the previous one? Maybe I'll wait until I find it used.

Of course, this happened once before with the Billy Corgan solo album. For the record, I don't listen to that one too often. Should I have bought it? Maybe.

Eh, we know I'll probably end up getting the new Pete Yorn sooner or later. The album didn't sound that bad, just not catchy. In my opinion, Nightcrawler was a lot to live up to. That seems to be Pete's career so far - great albums, and follow-ups that don't quite make the mark.