Published on Sep 10, 1999
When you thnk of Canada, chances are you think of hockey and
beer. If you are hip, you might even think of “SCTV,” their answer
to “Saturday Night Live”. But do you think of Canada as the home of
pop/rock groups waiting to make a name for themselves?
The more I do this job, the more it surprises me that there are
so many groups just to our north who never get a fair shot in the
States. One of those groups, The Watchmen, are finally being given
a chance to succeed within our borders, as their American debut
(and fourth album overall)
Silent Radar is released.
The band – vocalist Daniel Greaves, guitarist Joey Serlin,
bassist Ken Tizzard and drummer Sammy Kohn – remind me more than a
little of Live, only The Watchmen’s music isn’t as dark and
brooding as Live’s can get. Musically, they’re a cohesive outfit
who know how to turn on the charm in their songs. However, the one
drawback to
Silent Radar is that it’s not the easiest album to get
comfortable with, and the challenges the band issues to the
listener might be too much for one to overcome. You certainly won’t
do it with one compulsory listen.
The album opens strongly enough with “Stereo,” a track that
builds from its gentle introduction to a guitar powerhouse very
quickly. This track alone could help the band establish themselves
on American radio; it’s catchy enough to make you want to hear it
again and again, yet fresh enough where you’ll hear something new
with each listen.
For a good portion of
Silent Radar, The Watchmen prove to be a very impressive
band who create music that excites. Tracks like “I’m Waiting,” “Do
It,” “Come Around” and the title track all stand out, and make the
listener wonder why no one in America was willing to take a chance
on these guys before.
However, there are some moments on
Silent Radar that prove to be hard to plow through. Tracks
like “Rooster” do eventually show their power to the listener, but
they’re not the most accessible songs. I found that when I lost my
focus during these tracks, it was nearly impossible for me to
listen to the remainder of the album with the same intensity that I
had been. Before I’d realize it, three tracks would pass, and I had
no knowledge of what I’d just heard.
While
Silent Radar has the potential to be the true breakthrough
for The Watchmen, they do need to try and break out of the
melancholia that has been the trademark of other bands. When the
album slows down, like on “Any Day Now,” it plods at times, and it
takes a lot more effort to bring things up to speed. I’m not saying
the band should drop the slow-tempo numbers, but they should try to
find the spark that will keep people listening intensely.
Silent Radar is an album that should produce more than a
“blip” on the screens of American audiences. And while they still
need one more coat of paint before they’re ready for superstardom,
this is still a solid first effort in the States. Chances are if
this one succeeds, we’ll be seeing their other albums down here in
due time.