The Fuzzy End Of The Lollipop is the latest album from The Black Watch that evolves its usual template a touch, it feels in places a touch more electronic. The Black Watch are John Andrew Fredrick Andy Creighton, Chandler Fredrick and Rob Campanella, the album is self-produced and mastered by Scott Campbell.
The album opens with Everything Changed! Yet somehow stayed the same, still sounding like a downhearted jangly indie band, with trouble keeping a relationship for too long, but are they seeking ore fundamental change, well we could certainly do with it.
Falter, Sputter, Fall you are on the edge of the precipice, everything is about to collapse, how do you deal with it, well the droning tones and laid-back percussion with hazy vocals thinking about you and everything you did to push him towards that precipice, in the wake of the Jason Arday affair this almost feels topical.
The Fuzzy End Of The Lollipops hazier than fuzzy, a spare drum pattern and minimal adornments for this cautionary tale to unfold over, while sounding like they really would rather be wallflowers being ignored, than having to deal with The Fuzzy End Of The Lollipop, get a haircut you hippy.
Her Halo is just what they want to slip, so they might have a chance with this princess, before she realizes what cad's they are, will she ever see the beauty within them, that they seem to believe shines out, a new reality comes in the fuzzed out slacker guitars in love with Stephen Malkmus.
In Generalities has a sitar like intro for all the need and desire they hope to hide in general chit chat, so you won't notice just how hard they are trying to seduce the dear listener, into believing this is the one.
Marie Bouzkova is a song in lust with the Czech Tennis player, who had their hearts pumping and lusting to see her forehand smash up close and personal. For The Black Watch she is their own personal Evonne Goolagong or similar Tennis idol. The Merry Kind keep stumbling through life, one ramshackle, shambling indie song at a time, always having a good time, no matter how much trouble they get into while merry of course.
Never You Mind sounds upbeat, no matter how relationship wrecked he is again, don't worry it seems to be a permanent state, fuzzy guitars try to clear his fuzzy head once again, so he can figure out just what opportunities have been blown this time.
Sorrow's Crown is the crown the Black Watch wear, of the perpetually dumped and discarded lovers they are, acoustic guitars and ambient effects, along side the strings to give a sense of despair felt at being out in the cold once again, while hoping that finally they may find happiness and contentment, finally when the choir that opened the song return, alongside some rather clubby beats, that may well be from the Sorrows Crown Bisque Mix that it seamlessly moved onto while I was listening to it, not noticing the break.
The album closes with Stars At Last that plea that finally after 35 years The Black Watch will manage to play one sold out arena tour of the globe and then John can skulk off back to obscurity and spend his retirement playing tennis and reminiscing about the good old, bad old days, when selling over 500 albums was a real achievement. This is rather catchy and has the normal downbeat heart and soul that The Black Watch usually have.
Find out more at https://theblackwatch.bandcamp.com/album/the-fuzzy-end-of-the-lollipop https://www.facebook.com/theblackwatchmusic
