The Watch - "Vacuum"

My brother Dave should be writing this review but as I sit here listening to this album I can not help myself. I am compelled to write something about this band, The Watch.

As one who was at the ripe and proper age to be appreciating early ‘70s Genesis in the early ‘70s, Dave gets this album more than anyone I know. This is the album that Genesis could have made in 1975 or 1976. Instead they came out with the astounding, bizarre, crazy, and fantastic album “The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway.” This album, “Vacuum” is so close to that early Genesis period, it’s spooky. I find myself not caring that it sounds so derivative. This is music at its most progressive and artistic, and The Watch benefits from an improvement in production quality of the new century. I have always wondered what “Trespass” and “The Musical Box” would have sounded like with today’s studio technology!!!!! These albums, as absolutely mind-boggling as they are, suffer from the technology of the day.

Mark and I were fortunate enough to have seen The Watch perform this music at ROSfest last year and what a show it was. The crowd cheered with standing ovations throughout the show and you could not help but feel that this is what it might have been like to see Genesis perform Foxtrot live in the day. The band was overwhelmed by the response they received from this Phoenixville crowd. They just seemed so happy to have had this impact on U.S. soil. Mark and I were blown away with the rest of the crowd.

The lead singer’s voice is SO similar to Peter Gabriel’s early 70s voice. And in some of the passages, you can’t help but get goosebumps at the gorgeous Hackett-esque guitar parts. But, to me, an aspiring drummer, the aspect of the band that flips me out is the drumming. As anyone who knows me knows, Phil Collins is my favorite drummer of all time. But, this is where the technology of today really is apparent. The drum parts by The Watch’s drummer stand out in just the way they should. He is a percussionist extraordinaire and uses cymbals that may not have been available to Phil in the ol’ days. The drummer is, as he should be, the engine and backbone of this band but also provides the fills that send chills down my spine.

This is complex and intense music, and as such, it really demands your attention. Every time I listen to it, there are certain points in each song that I just HAVE to stop what I’m doing and listen intently. It just doesn’t matter that I can’t understand all of the lyrics without reading the booklet. They’re from Italy so what can you expect?

There are times within some of these songs that you realize that this is not quite up to the quality of the Genesis song-writing but these are far and few between so it’s easy to just be blown away. Why is there new music like this being created in this century?!?! How is this possible? The answer lies in the underlying genius of Genesis and their music. Just look at how successful The Musical Box and other Genesis cover bands are these days. They play nothing they’ve written themselves yet continue to sell out show after show after show all over the world.

But, The Watch is to be commended for creating something new in the same vein. I really don’t care that this is “derivative” or that at points you swear you are listening to a B Side from “Foxtrot” or “Selling England by the Pound”. This music will ring true for me until the day I die. Thank you to The Watch for keeping this torch lit. And burn brightly it does…

Doink Factor – 4.0 points
Sound Quality/Production – 3.0 points
Song-Writing – 2.5 points

Overall Score – 9.5 points