Free New Watchmen Tunes

The Watchmen have made good on their promise to offer brand-spankin'-new tunes, which you can download here. The two original tracks (a digital 7"?) have appeared on their MySpace page and their official site, http://www.the-watchmen.com/ (you can also fill your ears below). Here's an excerpt from guitarist/songwriter Joey Serlin's explanation about how and why the freshly-baked aural treats were crafted:

"The response from the fans and industry after last years Horseshoe shows was overwhelming. Offers came in to play more and more shows and before we knew it, what was supposed to be a one time thing became something else entirely. The band was in agreement that something was missing from the experience. We needed the buzz and satisfaction of creating new songs together. We made a decision to make new music for the first time in years. Ken had some songs and I had some songs and we decided to track a few at Vapor studios. With the help of engineer/mixer Julian Rudd, we set up, looked at each, took a deep breath and went for it. Sammy counted in the first track and within a few bars, years disappeared. I listened back and realized for the first time, how special our chemistry is."

Okay, Miss Monday Morning is well-produced rock, offering distorto-vox from D. Greaves, maybe the most straightforward riffs Serlin's ever released, a short teaser of a beautiful aggro-skronk screamer gee-tar solo, and a little harmonica flavouring. At just over 2 minutes running time, it's short and sweet, but like the solo, it's teasing and leaving us looking for more. Trampoline is a pretty little ballad featuring some country-flavoured guitar and a shuffle-y beat, but the focus is on Greaves' smooth, yearning vocals. "So I set myself on fire" may remind fans of a couple of older Watchmen tunes, but that's about all that really connects it with the band's older stuff; in fact, neither of these tunes sound like they could have appeared on any of their previous albums. Drummer Sammy Kohn sent me a little note awhile back when I wondered out loud whether the guys could or would drop some original sounds on us (see original post), saying he didn't know whether he should be "flattered or offended". Sammy, clearly you guys can do whatever you want. Wanna make a full album now? Yeah, I'm a greedy fan.

Miss Monday Morning


Trampoline


So aside from the two gifts for fans, what have we got here? Serlin's blurb above doesn't come out and say if there are plans afoot for the boys to continue making music or hit the road. Two shows at the Horseshoe in TO September 25 and 26 tells me they're into playing at the moment. Who knows if these are the (real) last shows?