While Andrew McMahon is well established in the music industry, he hasn't done this exact type of music before. In the past, whenever he has wanted to change the style of music he is making he has started on a new project. He seems to be against mixing many different styles into one group's sound and I admire how he wants to keep each of his ideas in separate projects. Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (in addition to it being a mouthful) is very unique; using a strong base of many different instruments to create the perfect sound.
This self-titled album has many different instruments, but something that immediately caught my attention was the fact that there is guitar featured on only one song, "Black and White Movies". There is a lot percussion, synth, and piano in each song that compliment Andrew's voice. Each of the songs tell a particular story and add to the sort of folky aspects found on this album. Almost all of the songs are some sort of love song, whether it's about falling in, falling out, or simply being. They lyrics are so emotional and heartfelt; each song seems to be drawn from personal experiences and this adds to the beauty of the music. There are transitions from calm to chaotic in the songs that make them exciting and something you want to listen to. Each time you listen to a song, you notice a new aspect of the song.
One of my favorite tracks on this album is "See Her On The Weekend". To me, this song is about being away from the one you love, but also just trying to figure out if you're ready for everything that is happening in your life. It's kind of talking about the transition that Andrew had to make from a partying rockstar to a father. He can't really continue to smoke, drink, and be away from home all the time; he;'s trying to figure out if this is all something he can handle. I think this whole song has beautiful lyrics about how it is to be thrust into parenthood, but some of my favorite lines are "Up around ten with a headache kicking; guess I fell asleep with a cigarette. Girl's back home with the morning sick; got a baby on the way, not here yet. And I'm alright, I think we're good. Yeah, I drink a little more than the doctors say I should". I captures the fact that he's still living a bachelor type lifestyle, but he won't be able to do that for very much longer. He's going to be a dad, and he's scared about how it's going to change his life and is trying to figure out what to do.
This album captures, what I feel are, genuine emotion that come with starting a family. You can kind of pick up on the change in his life and opinions when you listen to each song. "Rainy Girl" is about falling in love; "Driving Through a Dream" is about finding the one you want to be with; "Halls" is about making a commitment; "See Her On The Weekend" covers the worries he faces about becoming a father; "Cecelia and The Satellite" is about those fears disappearing and all you want is for your child to be safe and happy; and "All Our Lives" is about regret and mistakes in life. It shows the stages people go through in their adult lives and is very relatable. This album is something special. 
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