Wilderness (Brett Anderson album)
Encyclopedia
Wilderness is the second studio album by the English
singer Brett Anderson
.
Fans who bought tickets for Anderson's performance at London's Mermaid Theatre
on July 7 received a copy of the album on USB stick format, though the album didn't receive a general release until September.
There is minimal use of instrumentation, with only a piano, strings, an occasional acoustic guitar and voice for each track on the record, which Anderson found really exciting, "I wanted to write a beautiful suite of poignant songs. I literally went away to a studio and sat by a piano in an introspective and insular way. It's my most personal record in that it's made almost exclusively by me."
Anderson is keen to make the live shows of Wilderness symbolise an intimate affair. "The live shows will be very minimalist with just a myself and a cello player on stage."
Critical reaction to the album was mixed. Sam Wolfson of The Guardian
was unimpressed, saying that "Anderson had reached a creative menopause." Rick Martin of the NME
said, in his intimidating review, that "Most depressing of all is that Brett Anderson, once one of Britain’s most beguiling indie-pop stars, has become this irrelevant."
Andy Gill of The Independent
was not impressed saying that "...this slim suite of melancholy reveries should polish off what remains of Anderson's fanbase..." He did, however have kind words for the single "Back to You
", calling it a "half-decent song" and his "Pick of the album".
Allmusic were more favourable, awarding the album 4/5 stars, and writing: "For those who are still paying attention, it's actually quite nice to hear Anderson reconnecting to that initial spark while finding ways to experiment. It may not make him a star again, but Wilderness does find Brett Anderson creatively revitalized." Also awarding the album 4/5 stars, MusicOMH
wrote: "Wilderness is a slow burner, a gentle and fragile album stripped of the raw emotion of earlier Anderson efforts but no worse for that."
Despite the negative reviews, Anderson remains optimistic about the record, which is why he takes such pride in releasing Wilderness on his own label. Anderson has stressed this is for purely artistic reasons rather than commercial ambition.
Wilderness was recorded in only seven days, with most tracks recorded as live takes.
The cover photograph is by Allan Jenkins
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
singer Brett Anderson
Brett Anderson
Brett Lewis Anderson is an English singer-songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Suede. After Suede disbanded in 2003, he briefly fronted The Tears, and has released four solo albums...
.
Fans who bought tickets for Anderson's performance at London's Mermaid Theatre
Mermaid Theatre
The Mermaid Theatre was a theatre at Puddle Dock, in Blackfriars, in the City of London and the first built there since the time of Shakespeare...
on July 7 received a copy of the album on USB stick format, though the album didn't receive a general release until September.
There is minimal use of instrumentation, with only a piano, strings, an occasional acoustic guitar and voice for each track on the record, which Anderson found really exciting, "I wanted to write a beautiful suite of poignant songs. I literally went away to a studio and sat by a piano in an introspective and insular way. It's my most personal record in that it's made almost exclusively by me."
Anderson is keen to make the live shows of Wilderness symbolise an intimate affair. "The live shows will be very minimalist with just a myself and a cello player on stage."
Critical reaction to the album was mixed. Sam Wolfson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
was unimpressed, saying that "Anderson had reached a creative menopause." Rick Martin of the NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
said, in his intimidating review, that "Most depressing of all is that Brett Anderson, once one of Britain’s most beguiling indie-pop stars, has become this irrelevant."
Andy Gill of The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
was not impressed saying that "...this slim suite of melancholy reveries should polish off what remains of Anderson's fanbase..." He did, however have kind words for the single "Back to You
Back to You (Brett Anderson song)
"Back to You" is the second solo single by former Suede frontman Brett Anderson. It was released in June 2007.The single was a collaboration with Norwegian electro pop producer Fred Ball . It was previously released on the second Pleasure album. The song was previewed by Anderson during his May...
", calling it a "half-decent song" and his "Pick of the album".
Allmusic were more favourable, awarding the album 4/5 stars, and writing: "For those who are still paying attention, it's actually quite nice to hear Anderson reconnecting to that initial spark while finding ways to experiment. It may not make him a star again, but Wilderness does find Brett Anderson creatively revitalized." Also awarding the album 4/5 stars, MusicOMH
MusicOMH
musicOMH is a United Kingdom-based website which publishes independent reviews, featues and interviews from across all musical genres including classical, metal, rock and R&B.-History:...
wrote: "Wilderness is a slow burner, a gentle and fragile album stripped of the raw emotion of earlier Anderson efforts but no worse for that."
Despite the negative reviews, Anderson remains optimistic about the record, which is why he takes such pride in releasing Wilderness on his own label. Anderson has stressed this is for purely artistic reasons rather than commercial ambition.
Wilderness was recorded in only seven days, with most tracks recorded as live takes.
The cover photograph is by Allan Jenkins
Track listing
- "A Different Place" - 4:12
- "The Empress" - 3:39
- "Clowns" - 3:03
- "Chinese Whispers" - 3:21
- "Blessed" - 4:41
- "Funeral Mantra" - 2:57
- "Back to YouBack to You (Brett Anderson song)"Back to You" is the second solo single by former Suede frontman Brett Anderson. It was released in June 2007.The single was a collaboration with Norwegian electro pop producer Fred Ball . It was previously released on the second Pleasure album. The song was previewed by Anderson during his May...
" Feat. Emmanuelle SeignerEmmanuelle SeignerEmmanuelle Seigner is a French actress, former fashion model, and singer, best known as the wife of Academy Award winning director Roman Polanski, and for her roles in The Diving Bell and the Butterfly , and Frantic...
- 3:14 - "Knife Edge" - 3:02
- "P. Marius" - 4:37
- "Symmetry" - 2:40 (iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
Bonus Track)