Archer Prewitt Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
Archer Prewitt has been putting out intelligent, sophisticated pop music for some time now, and Wilderness is another absolute gem. There's a certain sense of melancholy running throughout, but this is often belied by the upbeat music, which often takes unexpected yet totally natural twists and turns. Tempos change in mid-tune, and sparse accompaniment will suddenly blossom into a lush cinematic sound with horns and strings, as on the majestic coda to "Cheap Rhyme." The band is spot-on, and the album has an inviting, relaxed sound. The songs are utterly engaging, and the detailed arrangements reveal more with each listen. Choosing highlights would be arbitrary at best; Prewitt has written a great batch of tunes, and the production and arrangements show him to be a supreme pop craftsman. ~ Sean Westergaard, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After detouring with the spare, ghostly Gerroa Songs, Archer Prewitt returns to the whip-smart pop sensibilities that defined his first two LPs, upping the ante to reveal an altogether new sophistication and complexity that spur his music to unexpected heights of brilliance. Though rooted in classic pop traditions, the 14 sterling songs that comprise Three evolve and mutate to twist those traditions inside out. Each cut overflows with ideas and surprises, but while stop-on-a-dime shifts in structure and tempo are a fixture, the music is never anything less than giving and accessible, complete with a pervasive lyrical optimism and humanity that dovetails perfectly with the buoyant melodies and sun-kissed arrangements. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It's not that Archer Prewitt hasn't made excellent music in the past -- his fine solo debut In the Sun aside, there are also a number of outstanding releases recorded with the Coctails and the Sea & Cake -- but White Sky is a revelation nonetheless, a majestic, beautifully cinematic evocation of autumnal melancholia crafted with meticulous sophistication. With titles like "Summer's End," "Last Summer Days" (sequenced back-to-back, no less), and "Final Season," the album's thematic ambitions are fairly self-explanatory, but what's impressive is how vividly Prewitt captures the sad inevitability of time's passage; although always a gifted songwriter, on White Sky his skills as an arranger make a huge leap forward, with gorgeously forlorn strings and horns lending color and depth to his languid, spacious pop melodies. Even the most robust moments, like the opening "Raise on High" and the propulsive "Motorcycles," possess unexpected complexity and intricacy, but it's the epic centerpiece "Walking on the Farm" that reveals White Sky's boldest ambitions, its bare-bones homespun melody blooming into an instrumental coda of magnificently pastoral grandeur. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
After distinguished tours of duty with lounge-pop pioneers the Coctails and post-rock innovators the Sea and Cake, Archer Prewitt finally steps out on his own with In the Sun, a buoyant and impeccably crafted record whose spare, gently insistent pop approach channels the creative spirit of his previous projects even as it stakes out territory entirely its own. While the slinky "Rush Hour" and "Work" offer up wry funk-pop grooves and the regal instrumental "You Walk By" anticipates the full-blown string and horn arrangements of the superior follow-up White Sky, by and large In the Sun maintains a simple, straightforward presence -- Prewitt's clever melodies don't need much adornment to sink in, relying instead on his tasteful guitar leads and warm, intimate vocals. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
