Album Details

• Artist: The Black Watch
• Album: Led Zeppelin Five
• Label: Eskimo
• Year of Release: 2011
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2011-02-01

Baroque and Beatle-esque pop is the reason The Black Watch are here for us. The inexplicably titled "Led Zeppelin Five" could just as easily have been called "Revolver II."  That doesn't mean that this is at that level, but the band do have a knack for lush pop melodies with subtle rock crunch, and the occasional swirling psychedelic burst.

"Emily Are you Sleeping?" and "Cognate Objects" are the best examples of the band running at peak; both songs have strong memorable hooks and light but direct lyrics. "Oscillating" is also a strong effort.

The downside to this style is of course the tendency to lapse into fey semi-poetic drivel as a listen to "Earl Grey Tea" will attest. The band saves its best for last, though, with the guitar freakout of "Kinda Sorta" and the mini-epic "Wierdly," the latter of which executes perfectly what "Earl Grey Tea" did not.

The Black Watch offer a confident peek at their influences and what they've done with them. "Led Zeppelin Five" is a minor psych-pop classic, but hooks and one-liners to keep it in your mind for weeks. This is a strong and cool effort.

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