Customer Reviews

Three

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Welcome to the home where no one ever goes," begins Archer Prewitt's third LP, as tentative mellotron strings score taut lines in the air above his everyman voice. This is a visit to a musical haunted house with more good ghosts than bad, a gloomy abandoned mansion whose creaky floorboards still rock and snap every now and then.

This album has often been appraised--both for the better, and for the worse--as an homage, throwback, nod, etc. to the lush pop sensibilities of 70s rock, a re-realization of a musical era akin to Josh Rouse's 1972. This may be true, but there's something more there, something I think most critics are missing. You can hear it in the chilly autumnal stroll of "Over The Line", where Prewitt croons, "In the darkness your eyes would shine, I had it all."

The anachronistic quaintness of Prewitt's compositions inform not only his retrospective glance, but also the slightly eerie, slightly pleasant feeling of displacement you get from listening to a song that was recorded two years ago but sounds like it's been around for decades. It's maybe the same feeling you get returning to the town where you grew up after many years away, or watching a Wes Anderson movie. (Indeed, the harpsichord of "Tear Me All Away" sounds like it was lifted straight out of Mark Mothersbaugh's Rushmore score.)

The songs on Three, much like Anderson's movies, evoke a time that is definitely in the past, though they are set in the supposed present, and the alternately discomfiting and inviting responses they elicit are entirely deliberate. When we sit down in someone's wood-paneled, shag-carpeted basement rec room, we know something's not quite right, but we're still cozy as hell.

This is a cozy album, rich with compositional ideas and song structures, tempo and mood changes that make for songs within songs, and evocative but familiar-seeming lyrics. It lulls you in with ballads like "Over The Line" and "Atmosphere" and then rocks your face off with the cocky strut of "Second Time Trader". Grown weary of avoiding Beatlesque arrangements, Prewitt embrances them unashamedly on "When I'm With You". Same goes for the Burt Bachrach epidemic that infects "I'm Coming Over".

Indeed, the New Sincerity movement seems to have found a musical acolyte in Prewitt, who served enough time in the paragon of hipster insouciance that is the 90s Chicago indie scene to know what he didn't want his solo albums to sounds like, and he's developed the confidence to throw his slim frame behind the sentimental lyrics, lush strings, brazen horns, and proggy arrangements and weather the inevitable snorts from his post-rock peers. Thank god.

We caught Archer at Hideout several months back and I was put off by what was positioned to be his new stuff. I'm not sure what happened, though, because this album is fantastic. All of his previous work has a very consistent feel to it; listen to a couple seconds of any song and you know which album it's from. "Three" has slow songs, upbeat songs, meandering songs, you name it.

Verdict: If you know who Archer Prewitt is, you'll love this record.

I have been a Sea and the Cake fan for a few years. there music is very moody and this CD by Archer Prewitt is just the opposite.Very uplifting stuff. I enjoyed it from the opening guitar riff. I tossed it on for the first time and came walking into the room as the opening riff was playing and told my wife "I like it already" and it just got better from there. Also intresting to hear his influences on this record. I could pick out some Fleetwood, Stones, and Beatles influences. Great songwriting. I'd love to see this group live if there is such a group. No matter, great CD!

I know you probably think I am overdoing it by giving this record 5 stars, but I really think this record is very pleasant, beautiful, and fun. Prewitt writes really solid tunes with great orchestration and his lyrics are nothing gripping, but very easy to listen to and enjoy. There aren't really any duds on the record at all. It is an occassionally uneven record but only because some songs stand out so much more than other ones. I really have no idea why the Sea and Cake don't try and progress more into this type of music and let Prewitt sing. I only have their first two records, but it is fairly obvious to me that Prewitt has a better voice than Prekop and has had a far better solo career as of now. I hope one day he tours with his solo stuff, but it is doubtful. If you are an indie pop/chamber pop fan than this record is definitely a must buy for you.

Prewitt's new album is a lovely surprise in a year of mostly gloomy albums; he has crafted a pop album unabashedly full of sunshine and love. His last release, the "Gerroa Songs" EP, was insular and dark, and his previous LPs have only hinted at this cheery personality (see the title track to "In The Sun"). "Gerroa Songs" was a beautiful record, but with "Three" Prewitt has proven he can skillfully navigate broad tonal swings.

The instrumental opener "Over the Line" is a little flat, but things really kick off with "Tear Me All Away" (when that harpsichord breezes through you know you're in for something good). The rest of the album doesn't disappoint, altering the tone and pace slightly but never straying far from the cheerful heart at the center of this record. Touches of R&B and Boettcher-esque pop surface throughout. Though the neo-hippy attitude introduced on "White Sky" is more apparent here lyrically, that does not translate to painful Phish-like noodling. The back-up singers are a little distracting, though, reminding me of Nick Drake's "Poor Boy."

As usual, Archer Prewitt displays excellent overall songcraft, and as his live shows will attest, remarkable performance as well. This is one of my favorite records of 2002. ...

I really enjoyed the song "Another Day" which was my favorite song on the album. Very nicely done with the violin and light orchestra in the second half of that song. The last song The Day to Day is pretty good too. There are one or two other decent tracks on here. But the majority of the songs on here just don't warrant repeat listens and don't seem very interesting.

I cannot say enough positive things about this phenomenal piece of pop music!

I am not that familiar with this artist other than he is the guitarist for Chicago's "The Sea and the Cake" and he did the art work for the on the album's sleeve. This is quite different from the Sea and the Cake.

There is something that makes this cd special over and above that it is an excellent collection of great songs. The pacing and diversity of the songs gives "Three" a synphonic and anthemic quality that is not normally seen (think Pink Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon" or Wilco's Yankee Foxtrot Hotel"). The 13 songs flow in such a manner as though the listener is being taken on a sonic excursion.

I guess this music can be categorized as "power pop" yet the songs have more depth than the typical, jangly guitar music. The tunes are very melodic but sometimes they take unusual and interesting turns. That is a good thing. They definitely take on a 70's, bubblegum vibe. Archer Prewitt has a laid back vocal style that gives these songs a quite ambience as opposed to a raw energy. The tone is quiet and subtle as opposed to being blaring and in your face.

All the songs are of high quality (which is why I rated this so high...I rarely feel that an album is perfect but... this is). Standouts are "Over the line", "Tear me away", "When I'm with you", "Two can play", Second time trader" and "sister ice". Warning, don't judge these songs by the short snipets on this website since these songs really can't be judged just on a sample. Remember, the songs take interesting and unexpected turns.