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15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Well Worth the Wait, October 19, 1999
If Paul McCartney had consistently good taste and Brian Wilson could stay focused, disciplined and clear-headed, either might, on a good day, hit Paddy McAloon's level. But for now, the leader of Prefab Sprout stands alone -- as he has for 15 years -- as the classiest, smartest and most consistently performer/composer in pop music.Andromeda Heights could have been McAloon's Smile. But he waited until he got it right, and produced another superb album. It was impossible to top Jordan: The Comeback, so Prefab Sprout didn't even try. With this gorgeous, hearfelt album, the Sprouts grab the note of mystical transcendence that closed Jordan and, incredibly, push it to the next level. There's the almost psychopathic anger of Prisoner of the Past, the bittersweet warnings of Swans and the seemingly fatalistic resignation of The Fifth Horseman; mixed in with these strains, and ultimately triumphant, is the joy of Electric Guitars, the hope of Avenue of Stars and the metaphysical triumph of Andromeda Heights. One gets the sense of a man settling down and beginning to deal more directly with the meaning of and relationship between life and love while confronting the specter -- or promise -- of eternity. A tour de force -- from the one person in contemporary music who has the courage -- or audacity -- to take on the hard issues, and the talent and vision to pull it off.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Hmmmmm..., May 22, 2002
Fans had to endure 6 long years of dead silence before getting to hear Prefab's follow-up to the brilliant "Jordan: the Comeback." Some hoped that McAloon was using this time to create the masterpiece that would actually surpass the unsurpassable genius of the preceding albums. But as the years dragged on, some lost hope, fearing he'd thrown in the towel, or that the band had unceremoniously vanished into obscurity. But seemingly out of nowhere, McAloon came out with this strange album that scarcely resembles Prefab's past work.
My feelings on "AH" are bittersweet. Interestingly, its sound indicates that McAloon was completely oblivious to mid to late-90s recording developments. Not that that's necessarily a bad thing, but whereas mid-90s contemporaries like the High Llamas, Stereolab, and Aluminum Group were reaching back in time to analog synths, Farfisa organs, and Bacharach/Brian Wilson horn/string sections, McAloon took a different and altogether more VH-1 route with "AH," slathering it in a grotesquely slick, Elton John/Disney-soundtrack production, forcing one to wonder if he had shifted his target audience to sentimental, middle-aged, suburban housewives who cry when they hear "Candle in the Wind."
The orchestral arrangements combine with prevalent, irksome X-Files sounding synthesizers. The music is devoid of any underlying tension (partly due to the absence of drummer Neil Conti), and instead possesses a languid, spacey, cinematic feel. Sometimes this works, but proves numbing over the course of the album.
The songs themselves are hit and miss. "Electric Guitars," "Four Horsemen," and "Weightless" retain McAloon's tried and true knack for infectious, effortlessly brilliant, pop genius. Other tunes, like "Whoever You Are" and "Prisoner of the Past" are okay, but pale when compared to past glories like "Cruel." Everything else is dull, uninspired, and irreparably damaged by the icky, sterile sound.
Adding insult to injury, the lyrics are laced with unforgivably awful, sentimental, Hallmark dross that would make any "Precious Moments" collecting simpleton feel warm and fuzzy. This may reflect McAloon's settling down into middle-age and shedding his youthful angst, but settling down never got the better of Mark E. Smith or Cathal Coughlan!
If you're a Prefab diehard, you'll find a few songs here to make it worthwhile. But, it's truly disappointing and alienating to hear McAloon lose the edge that made his work in the 80s so crucial. It's only appropriate here to mention Cathal Coughlan's mantra of "keep music EVIL!"
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Very Disappointing, July 24, 1998
By A Customer
I agree with my fellow Glass City Sprouts fan. If Paddy McAloon set out to make an album full of simple melodies and lyrics, he succeeded. I don't, however, listen to Prefab Sprout to hear such music. This album, front to back was a profound disappointment, even compared with the usual pop drivel out there. Compared with earlier Sprouts efforts, it was a tragic disappointment. There is very little musical or lyrical depth and substance on this record. It is simply uninteresting.Don't waste your money. If you haven't heard any albums from the band, check out Two Wheels Good, Swoon and Jordan. If you have, be extremely wary before buying Andromeda, and find a record shop that will let you listen to it before purchasing. On a positive note, I look forward to seeing what follows Andromeda. I'm confident that Paddy has some more platinum in the vault.
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