Archer Prewitt
White Sky
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Archer Prewitt
White Sky
Carrot Top, 1999
RiYL: Velvet Underground, Nick Drake, The Sea & Cake |
Without any regard for the fact that it's 1999 and rock musicians aren't supposed to put piccolo solos in their poppiest compositions, Prewitt keeps wending his way through the terrifying modern world unscathed. In fact, the bigger he gets, the seemingly less affected he is by all that goes on around him. Amazing.
On White Sky, Archer's going to party like it's 1971, and he doesn't care what you think about it. All the signs of a Prewitt presentation are here in abundance -- lush strings, vintage keyboards, woodwinds(!), and guitar so low-key it's an art form in and of itself. "Raise On High" swirls and swings like Nick Drake's happier, saner little brother. "Shake"'s soulful vocal harmonies and minor-verse to major-chorus dynamics make it sound like the theme song to some lost Nick At Nite favorite. "Walking On The Farm" is that rare eight-minute epic that, while built on simple, time-tested chords, adds and subtracts just enough with each passing minute to keep the listener interested for the entire running time.
"Motorcycles" (almost) rocks, a solo Prewitt first, and the title song is the obligatory gorgeous stately instrumental that no record Archer ever graces goes without. White Sky is a folk-rock record, sure, but in 1999, that made it stand proud and apart. It's not going to blow your speakers or scare your parents, but it just might make you hum along. Thanks, Arch. Long may you strum.
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.