[rating=7.00]
Twelve years since his first full-length album, Andrew McMahon still does not disappoint. He is now under a new moniker, Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, and the self-titled release dropped on October 14. The annoyance from fans and critics alike about yet another name change can be justified, but at the same time it does not negatively impact the content of the album. In typical fashion, McMahon crafts a story-telling unlike any other in its genre.
“Canyon Moon” is the first track on Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness and continues with the 80s pop vibe he began on his solo debut The Pop Underground EP which was released in April 2013. The album continues with “Cecilia and the Satellite,” a song which reveals a side of McMahon previously unknown to his listeners: he is indeed a family man. The ode to his daughter born in February 2014 is the album’s first single and gives snippets of McMahon’s life and declares they are inferior to her: “For all the things my eyes have seen / The best by far is you.”
McMahon dives deeper with the third track “High Dive,” which keeps the pop vibe alive and well and provides a retrospective look into a hypothetical situation. The most lyrically-developed and deepest track from the album could quite possibly be the fourth track “All Our Lives.” The perspective begins with advice given to the narrator from a person he meets: “There’s only one mistake that I have made / It’s giving up the music in my fingertips / By trying to get to Heaven through my veins.” The second piece of advice is the narrator imagining what he would say to the second person he meets with: “There’s only two mistakes that I have made / It’s running from the people who could love me best / And trying to fix a world that I can’’ change.” These lyrics set the tone for the entire album. McMahon has played with two successful groups, he has beaten cancer, he has started a family; now where does he go as a musician?
McMahon’s lyrics in the next few songs are far less complex. “See Her on the Weekend,” “Black and White Movies,” and “Driving Through a Dream” tell stories and discuss his wife. The repetitive rhythm in “Halls” parallels the first line of the chorus: “You echo in the halls.” McMahon returns to his roots with “Rainy Girl,” a song composed of his own voice and a piano.
The album finishes with “Maps for the Getaway,” a song reflecting upon his life. While the content is as far from a cliché as possible, the lyrics may have been better suited for the beginning track; however, the sound would have been too slow for the overall tone of the album.McMahon’s story continues to be a remarkable one, and it is unfair to compare this album to his previous works. The self-titled album will certainly not be his last as McMahon says it best on his final track: “All we have is time.”
