Released in 1997 to somewhat mixed reviews, Andromeda Heights is somewhat of an outlier in Prefab Sprout's oeuvre due to its lush production and ornately arranged and organic instrumentation. As an aural experience, you'll struggle to find an album that sounds better in a good pair of headphones. And this crucial to what makes this album as compelling as it is.
Paddy McAloon's always had a way with a tune, and these gifts are in full evidence throughout the album. The opening song, 'Electric Guitars' is lifted by the overlapping juxtaposition of the titular lyric with the chorus proper, whilst the second song, 'A Prisoner of the Past' has the orchestral bombast of Van Dyk Parts in full flow. The lyrics are largely plainspoken, but there's always a twist; the delight of being quoted out of context being just one of them.
By eschewing some the melodic idiosyncrasies of earlier Prefab Sprout albums, some fans and critics found Andromeda Heights to be rather underwhelming after waiting for it for close to seven years. As someone who didn't grow up with their earlier works as part of my life's soundtrack, I came to the album with a different set of ears and found no such issues. In fact, whilst I can appreciate the earlier work of the band, it's really only this album of theirs that I've grown to love. I feel it's the only one where McAloon's vision sounds truly fulfilled. It's an album of love songs, fully felt and deeply romantic in which the songs feel like parts of a life-sized epic, a musical of intimate gravitas.
If there's a challenge to embracing this album, it's a near-reflex instinct to reject anything that exudes sentimentality. Surely that's the stuff of romance novels and greeting cards. But the emotion behind those sentiments is worthy of attention; the substance of life itself is best experienced through deeply felt feelings, and this album displays them boldly, dazzlingly and unashamedly.
If you're prepared to leave your cynicism at the door in the hope of finding something to swell the spirit and warm the heart, look no further. Andromeda Heights is an album for the ages.
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