Archer Prewitt - Wilderness (2004)

Archer Prewitt (born 1963 in Frankfort, Kentucky) is an American musician and cartoonist associated with the independent music scene in Chicago, Illinois.

Wilderness represents an artistic rebirth for Archer Prewitt. 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 to properly flesh out the songs here. Whatever it was, something had switched on the light bulb in Prewitt's head since his last album ...

Not only are these his best songs in quite a while, they are also his best executed ... well, ever, for where Three's arrangements were often heavy-handed and sometimes obtrusive, Wilderness employs the same instruments, but respects the space required between such large accompaniments. Couple that with the nature of the songs (that is, unpredictable; ready to switch arrangements and/or melodies on a whim), and the result is an incredibly resonant song cycle that is coherent, fascinating and often reaches near cinematic heights.

The changes and evolutions that take place in some of the songs sound like rootsier versions of Queen's operettas (and I mean that in a good way). Despite the weighty subject matter, the execution of "Go Away" and "Without You" makes for tingle-inducing resonance. And the bitter epic (and album centerpiece) "Cheap Rhyme" is rather stunning, even for this album - it exposes anything labeled 'emo' for the teenybopping facade that it is, without even trying to.

Despite the downer nature of most of the subject matter here, Wilderness is one of the most humane and life-affirming albums I've heard. I can't imagine feeling anything but completely reinvigorated and ready to take on the world after listening to it. It's simply gorgeous, excellent music.~Austin