published: 24 /
5 /
2007
Label:
Pink Hedgehog
Format: CD
Intelligent and witty indiepop on the latest album from the Black Watch, the moniker for Californian musician John Andrew Frederick
Review
John Andrew Frederick has been making pop music with a revolving band of players under the Black Watch name for two decades. Although based in California (Santa Barbara, to be precise), Frederick’s inspiration lives across the oceans: In Britain and to an even larger degree in New Zealand and Australia.
The noisy kickoff to ‘Innercity Garden’ sounds like a refugee from 1980's New Zealand noisepop like the Cleans. The metallic squeal, tremulous vocal and the piano-sitar-radio mish-mash at the end of the title track charts a similar course.
Most of the rest of the ‘The Hypnotizing Sea’ tones things down a notch and keeps its feet in the territory laid out by the Go-Betweens. Acoustic strummer ‘Buttercup Fairchild’ – an ode to a troubled beauty – sets the tone.
Frederick’s voice is pleasant, but not blessed with an overwhelming range. Instead he gets by on intelligent, sometimes tart, wordplay. This also justifies his harmonica-heavy tribute to Bob Dylan.
Fans of Antipodean pop, or the witty lyrics of performers like Edwyn Collins will find the set entertaining.
Track Listing:-
1
Innercity Garden
2
Buittercup Fairchild
3
Papercut
4
Dylan Dylan Dylan
5
The Hypnotizing Sea
6
The Teacup Song
7
Willing To Wait
8
How I Go Round
9
Another Summer Coming
10
The Shakespeare Song
11
Story Of Your Life
12
Room 407
13
The Way Of The World
Band Links:-
https://www.facebook.com/theblackwatch
https://theblackwatch.bandcamp.com
Label Links:-
http://www.pinkhedgehog.com/
https://en-gb.facebook.com/Pink-Hedgeh
http://www.last.fm/label/Pink+Hedgehog
https://www.youtube.com/user/PinkHedge