Rating: NNN
Best known as the frontman of dance pop band Miike Snow, Andrew Wyatt has put a lot of effort into distancing himself from that studio wizard image on his debut solo album, Descender.
According to him, arranging these songs for a 75-piece Czech orchestra was about putting the emphasis back on the melodies rather than the sounds, an effort to revisit the days before software became the primary writing tool and instrument of pop musicians.
He can’t quite leave behind the sonic sculptor aspect of his personality, though, and Descender ends up feeling just as produced as his work with Miike Snow. The mood is more grandiose and romantic, but working with an orchestra in 2013 is just as much about the sonics as an album made with synthesizers. The guy can write a memorable song, and Descender is full of great moments, but it also feels forced and not nearly natural enough to succeed in the ways he’s hoping.
Top track: It Won’t Let You Go
