Tag: The Black Watch
The Black Watch and Splitsville
The Black Watch “For All the World”
John Andrew Fredrick is a real treasure. The man’s prolific catalog is in a small way comparable with Bob Pollard (Guided By Voices) in that he has a vision and sticks with it. The Black Watch’s 25th album is a glorious bit of ambitious moody pop that should be embraced. Longtime collaborators Andy Creighton and Misha Bullock add their dense orchestration of strings, keyboards, Mellotron, guitar and bass.
It establishes the neo-psychedelic tone with the droning guitars of “Mal de Mar.” From sparkling jangle to thick, shoegaze-influenced textures, the record goes through different phases. “Surely You Rally” and “Lord Marchpane” are fuzzed-up power-pop with a hint of melodic sweetness, while “Much More” delves into darker, more psychedelic garage rock territory. My highlights include “Mapcap Girl,” “Bright Blue Sun, Gold Sky” and “If Only.” At more than an hour, the album may appear daunting, but if you skip around through these 21 tracks, you are likely to find some favorites here. Highly Recommended.
Splitsville “Mobtown”
Power pop Hall of Famers Splitsville are back after a 20 year hiatus, and they set their sites on an ambitious concept album about their hometown of Baltimore, MD. Brothers Brandt and Matt Huseman (Greenberry Woods) and crew weave in the city’s landmarks, history, and their personal narratives into the overall story. “Cold Open” is an uncharacteristic synth opening but the aggressive guitars take over song right away as they intone “Let’s Start a Riot!” It shows the band is just as sharp as ever, and “A Glorious Lie” is the first big highlight here, full of fantastic harmonies and a killer hook.
“Federal Hill” is an orchestrated rocker loaded with layered instrumentation about the local neighborhood. Another highlight “I Hate Going to Hutzler’s” is a bouncy commentary on consumerism, it sounds like prime-era Splitsville and carries you along with wicked guitar solo. There is no filler here, but it may take more than one spin to appreciate the artistry. For example “Fallsways” is piano led gem that stylistically is a change of pace from the more familiar sounding “Beth Steel.” Overall, it’s an ambitious, painstakingly put-together concept album that pays homage to Splitsville’s past while moving on with more mature songwriting. Not as immediate as past albums, but that’s okay. Let this one grow on you. Highly Recommended.
The Black Watch and Valley Lodge
The Black Watch “Weird Rooms”
With the help of his son Chandler, who traveled to Austin, TX to record ‘Weird Rooms‘ with producer/multi-instrumentalist Misha Bullock and his wife Sara, lead singer and lyricist John Andrew Fredrick—a writer and prolific songwriter—releases his twenty-third long-player from The Black Watch. In contrast to most bands these days, The Black Watch just gets better with each release.
It starts with “Myrmidon,” a swirling psyche pop gem with a jangling rhythm and thick descending baseline akin to “Dear Prudence” with choral backing. “Miles & Miles” also has a shimmering texture, that builds up a wall of sound with a dreamlike cadence. “Gobbledegook” and the title track “Weird Rooms” follow this with more 80s-styled guitar riffs, displaying a richly composed stream of consciousness. There are bits of “weird” interludes between some tracks, that serve to move us along the album, from one “room” to the next. “Fruit Stripe Gum” has a strong horn and drum-guitar combo that recalls an old western theme. Overall, it is a sensory experience that proves more intoxicating the longer you listen to it. Highly recommended.
Valley Lodge “Shadows in Paradise”
Vally Lodge (Dave Hill, Phil Costello, Eddie Eyeball, and Rob Pfeiffer) continues to chug along, as one of the top power pop bands out of New York. The group draws inspiration from various sources, including Cheap Trick, Maroon 5, and Thin Lizzy. “Daylights” opens with a rousing guitar riff, it’s a catchy, silly song with lyrics like “I’m not your basketball, but I’ll bounce all over your head.” Next is “I Wrote a Song,” which also bounces along with Olive Hui (Late Cambrian) dancing in the video.
There are a few songs that have a rock vibe with funky electronic beats like “Secret Lover,” and “Dirty Dishes,” but power pop fans will eat up the brilliant “After School,” with its frantic guitar solo and “Hanging Around,” which starts almost like a Foo Fighters song, with a bass-heavy intro and settles into breezy “do-do-do” harmonies. In the end, ‘Shadows in Paradise’ is an enjoyable album with more than enough great songs to make this one highly recommended.