It isn’t Something Corporate. It isn’t Jack’s Mannequin, either. It’s Andrew McMahon’s other project called Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness, which was first introduced in 2014. Of course it’s only natural to expect a similar emo pop-rock sound to what made McMahon famous from his earlier records–songs like “I Woke Up in a Car” and “Konstantine” from SC, and “The Mixed Tape” and “Dark Blue” from Jack’s Mannequin. But this sound is different. It’s still infused with his iconic piano, but it’s more polished. His voice is smoother. And his music is more energetic–very appropriate for primetime TV shows via MGMT–as heard on tracks like “Cecilia and the Satellite” and “All Our Lives” off his self-titled premiere album.
His second release Zombies on Broadway was released just this year, and it’s an album that strays from his usual California sunshine that’s quite obvious in a lot of his music, and instead switches gears to New York City and what inspires him about it–the intensity of it, the grittiness, and the way it just doesn’t stop, which is obvious on tracks with titles like “Brooklyn You’re Killing Me” and “Fire Escape.”
McMahon explores a more experimental sound on this record that’s electronic and bubbly, and surely will touch base with today’s generation–the generation who has absolutely no idea about “spelling confusion with a K” or what’s it’s like to “kiss a drunk girl” or what to do “if you C Jordan.” But that’s the beauty of change. And Andrew McMahon has been through a lot of it since being diagnosed with leukemia back in 2005 to now living cancer free, growing older, having a baby. But that’s exactly what Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness celebrates: a new beginning.
Webster Hall
4/11
7 p.m.
ticketweb.com
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