By Geoff Topley
Andrew Wyatt, front man of electronic/pop act Miike Snow has presented us with a curious collection with his debut solo album Descender. Grandiose does not do this opus justice as it features the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra as a 75 strong backing band. Wow. Just read that again, a 75 piece Philharmonic Orchestra. The PR informs us that members of The Libertines, Interpol and Tortoise were also involved, though I’m not sure which instrument they were given to add to the “intricate soundscapes” being “weaved” and “explored”.
There have been a few notable albums in recent times where orchestras have been dragged kicking and screaming into studios to mix with various rock/pop acts. Some have worked well, The Divine Comedy’s A Short Album About Love, Ian McCullough’s recent reworking of Echo and the Bunnymen tunes. Some have been messy, overblown affairs; I give you Metallica’s hideous S & M.
My first listen to this album was a thoroughly joyous affair, the production and sound of the mass band swells around your head and there’s a real vibrancy in combining introverted electro pop to this huge wall of sound. It works incredibly well and the arrangements are first class, it’s all over too soon with a running time of only 32 minutes. The title track is a short splurge of electronic oddness giving the orchestra a well earned piss break.
Repeated listens and deeper delving into the songs raises a few issues for me though.
Somewhere along the way, probably in the midst of painstaking arranging of parts/instruments, Andrew has forgotten to write distinct memorable tunes. Which isn’t to say that there aren’t some treats on Descender because two of the tracks, ‘Harlem Boyzz’ and ‘And Septimus…’ are gloriously melodic and sprightly numbers that could easily have fell off the Spector/Motown production lines. Wyatt’s voice is a wondrous thing, a sugary falsetto that is soulful and non-intrusive. Rather than trying to compete with an orchestra, which some singers might do, the marriage between Wyatt’s hushed tones and the full arrangements works very well indeed.
Some of the other tracks suffer from the weight of trying to appear dark and unsettling, the melody lines getting lost in the arrangements so that the tracks tend to meander with no real purpose. When the collective body of songs only span 32 minutes, you feel a little short changed for this, but then, the intention probably wasn’t to do Miike Snow-with added strings. In the midst of my critical appraisal, I must mention the garish ‘In Paris They Know How To Build A Monument’ which goes all theatrical on us, however well intentioned this track is, the almost spoken chorus tag line just irked me.
Listen, the ideology behind this album (making of captured on documentary, no less) is daring and I admire Wyatt for taking the bold step. There’s a real sense of excellent creativity at work and it’s a shame that such an expansive and elaborate album will probably not receive the expansive audience it might deserve.
I’m sure Andrew Wyatt is proud of his achievement and the satisfaction of creating such a unique album must be immense. In this day and age of cack-handed computer studio jiggery pokery I’m grateful that there are some musicians who want to use real instruments and thoughtful arrangements, to give us music with soul. The good will out.
