In what is becoming an increasingly regular event, I am very late in getting to Watchful Creatures, the new album from Ottawa’s Jon Hynes. You are more than likely familar with Hynes’ work even if you don’t know it, with him playing various instruments for Donovan Woods, Hey Rosetta! and others. Following last year’s EP, Hynes has started playing with Evening Hymns (who also have a new album coming soon), but has still found the time to put out a full-length solo album.
Watchful Creatures is the sort of album that is difficult to pin down as any specific genre. The opening two tracks are quite poppy, fast-paced with an upbeat tone, sparking the record to life and channeling bands like Spoon.
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‘The Later Ones’ sees the album take a slower turn, with the focus shifting to Hynes’ vocals and the thumping drums. This continues through to ‘Forever, Kathleen,’ a sad song about loss that is topped off by a triumphant brass section that gives things a celebratory feeling, capturing that weird sense of melancholy and pride that constitues grief (as an aside, the general tone and themes bring to mind this Frederick Squire song). Hynes sings:
“Is this how you saw yourself now?
Showing your heartache in the dead of the night
It’s one for the past
Your life moved so fast
And I’ll never forget you, Kathleen
Tell me all the thoughts you had
My dreams don’t even touch yours I know
When I kneel down you don’t even frown
I see you and it kills me, Kathleen”
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Just when you thought the album was about to settle in a folky groove, it changes once more. ‘Opinion Piece,’ my current favourite, is a slow-burner that builds up into the cathartic refrain “you had a lie for everyone,” with a collection of backing vocalists (including members of Hey Rosetta!) providing that rousing group chorus. Samples and ambient music are used in ‘One More, California’ add another dimension and create that sense of wistful longing that develops about a place you romanticise.
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Overall, this is an interesting album that defies the usual categorisation, incorporating the best bits from a range of sources to create something that will both get your feet moving and your soul hurting (in a good way). Maybe Hynes’s time with other bands has helped him develop a well-rounded musical palatte?
The album is out now on Shuffling Feet Records, who are putting together quite a roster.