Staff Reviews

Patrick Watson - Adventures In Your Own Back Yard

Review by Alex Yau

Patrick Watson has established himself further as a confident artist who manages to create subtly bewitching worlds which don’t take you too far from the moment.»

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'adventure in your own back yard' was made at home after a gruelling five-year run that saw patrick and his band (bassist mishka stein bass, guitarist simon angell and drummer robbie kuster) tour the world in support of two critically-acclaimed and successful albums, including the polaris award-winning 'close to paradise'. during this time, patrick also contributed to 'ma fleur', the 2007 album from the cinematic orchestra, co-writing and singing on a sizeable portion of the record. in patrick's own words, 'adventure in your own back yard' is an effort on the band's part to 'make the kind of music we would want to listen to at home.' the album's title is a nod to this sentiment and to the fact that it was recorded almost entirely in watson's apartment in montreal, unlike his previous efforts which were sprawling recordings in both geography and arrangements. in spite of the relatively spartan settings in which to record, 'adventure in your own back yard' is equally as ambitious as watson's previous efforts and a thing of dynamic beauty. the result is an album that is still ripe with the touchstones one has come to expect from patrick watson and his collaborators, but permeated with a greater sense of patience and confidence. 'adventures in your own backyard' is an attempt by watson and the band to simplify their sights - to make music a bit more close to home in every sense of the phrase.
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