If your band features the violin, it’ll
probably rule my universe. Wetton-era King Crimson to Van der Graaf (without
the Generator) to Curved Air, to High Tide to Mahavishnu Orchestra to the Dixie
Dregs, Skyclad, My Dying Bride—all have crushed my puny head over the years.
It’s an expressive, forceful instrument, and fits perfectly into the frequency
range of rock. In the hands of the right player, violin can be just the thing
to keep an overeager guitarist in check or provide melodic backup for a vocal
line. The Night Watch has plenty of violin, and I
like the Night Watch. This instrumental quartet from Ottawa has been
together since 2008. On their debut album they play a blend of European folk,
progressive rock and metal. If King Crimson were abducted and brainwashed by
gypsies, this music might be the result. Their style also reminds me of
Estradasphere and Vancouver’s own Pugs and Crows. Catchy themes and sprightly melodies mingle with
solo passages and bursts of distortion and double-kick drumming. The sudden
transitions between these elements are executed with great musicianship. The arrangements
and song structures on “Don’t Creep” and the 15-minute adventure that is “War
Whales” are clearly the result of some intense rehearsals. Nathanaël Larochette’s
acoustic guitar playing, highlighted on the album's quiet sections, is recognizable from his Musk Ox project. The only thing I found myself wanting
was a more prominent role for the electric guitar. For the most part it plays support to
the violin rather than conversing with it. “In the Beginning,” the shortest
track on the album, gets the balance right, but overall I think freeing up the
guitar and giving it some improvising space alongside the violin would benefit
their future material. But for now, this is a striking, adventurous debut
that'll appeal to any forward-thinking music fan.
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)