This album is the reason that all my favorite 70's pop was made in the 90's.
One thing you notice right away about Archer Prewitt's solo debut album is its overt conventionality. Considering everything that he had been involved in up until this point, this music sounds strange coming from, just because it's so inartificially normal. It doesn't at all feel like he's straining either. These are just songs that are all very traditionally structured, were probably originally composed on just an acoustic guitar and, in the singer/songwriter mold, are personal and reflective. The mood is rather contemplative, swaying back and forth between jubilant and melancholy, but never really to any extremes. "Good Man", the one exception, is unapologetically happy and one of the album's best songs. The songs are very well produced, with everything sounding absolutely organic and lush with huge arrangements. Because of this, it often evokes shades of mid-1970's pop radio, but in the best possible way because this is clearly a labor of love for Archer. A side note: Archer has a really great voice that soothes and fits into his songs perfectly.
~Austin
One of very few albums that actually deserves to be called 'autumnal' as a compliment.
Besides a couple of tunes, this album has a very melancholy overtone. The majority of the topics here deal with regrets, wasted time and bad memories. Just that feeling you sometimes get when the weather hasn't quite cooled down yet, but summer is most certainly gone. The arrangements here are even more grandiose than on In the Sun, but things never once become overbearing. On the contrary, the emotional weight of the songs benefits from the large sound. The middle trilogy of "Summer's End", "Last Summer Days" and the absolutely epic "Walking on the Farm" is one of the finest sequences of heavily emotional (but not depressing) music I've heard in a while. It sounds a whole lot more like a classic pop/rock album and, overall, it's a little bit of an improvement from his first album and a really resonating album.
~Austin
Archer goes on vacation to Australia.
Considering his first two albums, this record is a complete change in sound. It is very menacing, sparse and melancholy. The basic tracks were recorded on 8-track and then a small string section was added later. The setting suits Archer surprisingly well. About half the songs are instrumentals, a couple of those being only Archer's solo guitar. In the liner notes, he comments that "I can't think of a more relaxed recording experience." And, despite the weighty material, he indeed sounds very content and at home in this setting. Sometimes, the unpolished nature of the songs can be frustrating, but that is part of the album's charm. Only eight songs and just under a half an hour long, on some days, I'd argue it's his best record, simply based on its uncompromising individuality. Fantastic cover art as well: a photo of Archer strolling an Australian beach with some kangaroos.
~Austin
Not really trying to win over new fans here.
There's really nothing wrong with this album (well, it may be a bit too long), it just feels kind of stiff after the brilliant one-two combo of White Sky and Gerroa Songs, whose complete polar opposites offset each other wonderfully. There are some great songs to be found here, Archer just sounds a little too complacent and not too willing to search. But, at its best, he's able to reach that perfect reflective quality that his best previous records had. But, that's the main problem, nothing really happens that hasn't already been heard before. It's possible to still be good when working within established limits, but don't expect anything too special to happen.
~Austin
The brilliant rebirth of an artist.
Maybe it was the death of his father (who receives a special dedication in the liner notes) or the extended break between his own recordings and his work with the Sea and Cake that allowed him more time fully flesh out these songs, but something illuminated the light bulb in Archer's head since his last album. Not only are these his best songs in a while, they are also his best executed songs... well, ever. Where Three's arrangements were often heavy-handed and sometimes obtrusive, Wilderness employs all of the same instruments, but respects the space required between such large accompaniments. Couple this with the nature of the songs here —that is, unpredictable; ready to switch arrangements and/or melodies at Archer's whim— and you get an incredibly resonating song cycle that is coherent, fascinating and, quite often, reaches nearly cinematic heights. The changes and evolutions that take place in some of the songs suggest a rootsier version of Queen's operettas (and I mean that in a very good way). Despite the weighty subject matter, the execution of songs like "Go Away" and "Without You" makes for tingle-inducing resonance. The bitter epic and album centerpiece "Cheap Rhyme" is rather stunning, even for this album. It exposes anything labeled 'emo' for the teeny bopping facade that it is without even trying to. And despite the downer nature of most of the subject matter here, this is one of the most humane and life-affirming albums I've ever heard. I can't imagine feeling anything but completely reinvigorated and ready to take on the world after listening to it. Simply gorgeous, excellent music.
~Austin
Click here to read a longer (and slightly contradictory) review I wrote for okayplayer.com (it was never published).
