Archer Prewitt
In The Sun
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Archer Prewitt
In The Sun
Carrot Top, 1997
RiYL: The Sea & Cake, Nick Drake, Lambchop |
I was always under the impression that TSAC was a two-man operation, with Sam Prekop providing the lyrics and basic melodies, and John McEntire hooking up the beats. Considering his various other projects -- graphic design, comic books, freelance art -- I figured Archer Prewitt was more or less a hired gun, a fine guitarist who came in, learned the chords from Sam, punched in his leads, then went back to Fireproof Press. Maybe that is the case, but Prewitt is definitely more than a mere guitar player. In The Sun is a smooth, sophisticated, and classy "pop" album, in the classical sense.
Prewitt is less instinctive a songwriter than Prekop. His songs are very calculated, with precise horns, even guitar figures, and clickety-clack, no-nonsense drumming. His vocal delivery is quite measured -- there's no crazed rock screams like TSAC's "Soft And Sleep," and certainly no slurring of words. Prewitt sings clearly, appreciating that in his project, vocals are just another instrument, and although his range is nothing to write home about, he plays to his strengths.
The result is an excellent, if somewhat anachronistic, slice of folk-rock in the Nick Drake/Fairport Convention mold. Prewitt's guitars are ironclad -- not a note is off-key or out of tempo. The only sign that this record came out in 1997 and not 1967 is in the rhythm section, where drums are firmly rock (no divided tempos or jazzy flourishes here) and the bass playing (mostly by Prewitt himself) jets and pokes more adventurously than any other instrument on the album. Tortoise's Doug McCombs would approve.
Prewitt nicely manages to encompass many moods within folk-rock's narrow range, with the mordant "I'm All You Know" nicely contrasted by the jubilant "In The Sun." There's some more instrumental-based pieces -- "Moore County Run," "Work," "You Walk By" -- which confirm Prewitt's strong sense of evoking emotions through melody. After a very solid first half, the second section of the album disappoints a bit, with a series of very long gloomy pieces that indulge the horn section more than necessary.
All told, the record is still a very fully realized work from a guy who's spent years as an unheralded sideman.
MARK T.R. DONOHUE | Mark T.R. Donohue is a prolific freelance writer whose areas of expertise include Rockies baseball, video games, genre television, English soccer, and pub rock. He lives in Colorado, where he cultivates the largest and creepiest private collection of Alyson Hannigan memorabilia in the Mountain West.