Anything Andrew McMahon is working on will get me excited. This time, it’s a full solo effort to follow up his four-song solo debut The Pop Underground. Let me warn you that the new name comes not from what I would call a more “organic” or “rugged” sound on this album, but it refers to how he is taking more of an indie route with this album, forgoing the large record label and hot-shot producer for a self-financed and low key effort. Since his Jack’s Mannequin days (I discovered him too late to get into Something Corporate) I’ve been a close follower of his every musical endeavor. I was sad to see the end of Jack’s Mannequin, and at first listen to The Pop Underground, I was a little worried he was going in a very electronic direction (even though Synesthesia quickly became one of my favorite AM tracks).
The first single from Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, “Cecilia and the Satellite,” quickly eased my worries about the musical direction. To me, this track is an evolution of Andrew McMahon’s sound, as much as it is a direct reflection of his current life. The song is about his daughter, who was not yet born when he wrote the track, and features a soaring chorus powerful piano and synths, and is lacking in guitar, leaving a ton of space between the piano and his vocals.
The rest of the album follows suit, as guitar is nowhere to be found. The first track, “Canyon Moon,” has a somewhat atmospheric sound but is full of energy built by the pounding bass drum and whooshing piano. When I listen to this track, the combination of the sound and lyrics gives me a feeling that there are endless possibilities, and is a great opener to the album.
After “Cecilia and the Satellite” comes my favorite track on the album, “High Dive.” This song has very visual lyrics and I love to sing along with it. It follows the quintessential Andrew McMahon of a somewhat chill verse, followed by a high energy chorus that I can easily picture him going crazy with on stage. The chorus is just so good in this song, I can’t get over it!
Headlights in the driveway
you stand in the window waiting
the stars are out tonight
one million fires burning
out there on the high dive
you dance with your headphones on
and I could watch you all night long
dancing to someone else’s song
“All Our Lives” is another really strong track, and precedes “See Her on the Weekend,” which is possibly the simplest and most straightforward song on the album. “See Her on the Weekend” is driven by the chorus about his approach to writing this album while his wife was pregnant. It tells the story about how he spent his weeks in a cabin writing music, and headed home for the weekends to spend time with his wife. It’s a lot of fun to sing along with and one of my favorites on the album.
It’s safe to say there’s not a single track I don’t love on this album. I don’t have time to go through every track in detail, but this album is hands-down my favorite of the year. I highly suggest you check it out, I think you’ll find something you like.
I got to see Andrew McMahon at my favorite venue, House of Blues, on his first stop of the tour! Hunter Hunted was the opener, and they were a little anthomy for my taste (but on an interesting side note, they are two of the original members from Lady Danville, an acoustic trio who Pat and I discovered when they opened for Ben Folds in Detroit).
Andrew came out and opened with “Maps for the Getaway,” which was so new at the time he even forgot some of the lyrics (the album had just come out that day!). This show was a lot different from his shows in the past, with absolutely no guitar, heavy synths, and an extra tom-style drum used for dramatic effect (which can also be heard throughout the album). He played many of my favorite JM tracks, but in a very different style without the guitar, which was a prevalent part of the original tracks. He mixed in a few SC songs as well. The highlights for me were “High Dive,” “Holiday From Real,” and “La La Lie”.
He played “Synesthesia” which was one of his best performances of the show! Every time I hear that song I like it more, and his live performance of it is as close to perfection as I’ve seen in a live show. He closed with a soaring rendition of “Cecilia and the Satellite” that left me wanting more, but unfortunately I’m stuck waiting until he comes around again.
Andrew McMahon continues to be one of my favorite live acts and this show definitely lived up to it. I can’t wait until the opportunity to see him again.
Eric