Uh Oh. Patrick Watson

With Patrick Watson I had a very slow growing relationship. I distinctly remember lending a cd around 2010, maybe a little earlier, that I did not like at all. And then came 2015. I had just started to buy LPs once again and Patrick Watson released 'Love Songs For Robots', followed by 'Wave' in 2019. Two albums that made a big impression on me. His voice and the mysterious, dreamy ambiance of the records sort of had me spellbound.

After that I slowly forgot about Watson and found out too late that he had a show in NL; sold out. Come 2025 and after having heard a few singles, here's Uh Oh. Several of the songs are collaborations. There are more differences though, as Patrick Watson is diving off the highest board, as on the one hand all sort of estranging and weird effects enter his music, while on the other more traditional elements enter, but not primarily in the form I'm used to. It's quite upsetting his and my tranquil mind of the past.

Let's be honest, I'm still not certain what to think of this development. Currently I'm listening with a headphone on and not playing the album softly. It makes the music come totally alive, where so far this was not the case. At best I was intrigued. At this moment I'm feeling alive because of what I'm hearing.

Of course, at the heart of it all is Patrick Watson's voice. Soft spoken and in a higher region. The novelty lies in the voices around Watson's. Different singers accompany him, some as background, some as duet partners or both. It started from necessity, so I read. Patrick Watson lost his voice and did not know if he could ever sing again, while songs kept coming to him. Together with his band mates, Patrick Watson is also the name of the band, confusing, yes, he collaborated with a host of singers and instrumentalists. Some known, some only in local Montreal venues. There's the explanation why the album sounds so different from the ones I know from the past.

In a way it is exhilarating. Songs can be so different, so strange and so traditional. Take 'Ami Imaginaire'. At some points it sounds like the musical equivalent of a fractured mirror still caught in its frame. It's making all the sounds that individual pieces squeezed together make, while promising to fall apart, but not just yet. While in 'The Wandering' you hear a bossa nova rhythm over which the most estranging music and spooky background vocals are deposited, supported by a strict sounding string section. You will also hear Maro singing in Portuguese. 'Choir In The Wires' combines a chamber orchestra with a moody, slow mariachi. And I could go with a few more examples, but expect you have gotten the drift.

Having lost his voice led to Patrick Watson and band members opening all the windows and catch everything that came in with the breeze. I think it may take a few more listening sessions, to truly get to the deeper levels of Uh Oh. Believe me, I want to get to these levels alright.

Wout de Natris - van der Borght

 

You can listen to and order Uh Oh here:

https://patrickwatson.bandcamp.com/album/uh-oh