The phonograph crackling that opens Pete Yorn´s debut album is an appropriate gesture for an artist hailed as the best thing to come out of South Jersey since Bruce Springsteen. Actually, Yorn doesn´t sound a thing like Springsteen, but he does possess a classic pop craftsmanship shared by tradition-minded singer-songwriters such as Neilson Hubbard and Elliot Smith. On the cool, infectious "Life on a Chain," Yorn´s relaxed crooning evokes the spirit of Bruce Cockburn, while "Simonize," ostensibly a love song penned by Jack the Ripper, calls to mind Big Star-period Alex Chilton. Rhythmically, the part-time drummer and multi-instrumentalist (he scored the Farrelly brother´s movie Me, Myself and Irene and plays most of the instruments here himself) leans toward the drone lilt of early New Order and Joy Division, resulting in a smooth fusion of American and Anglo influences that make Yorn a new artist well worth watching.