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Rating: The possibility of my impartial review of the solo project album by Tom Morello (formerly guitarist of Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave) lasted about two and a half minutes.
After that time span, I entered, curious but already with a nagging feeling, the forum dedicated to the "Nightwatchman Brigade". No big deal: in that short amount of time, I had already had the chance to listen (thanks to the streaming on the site, the only commendable thing) to the title track of the album which, for a strange form of coherence, is perhaps the one with the worst lyrics and, certainly, the most UGLY musically.
The album, "songs of bitterness and revenge in response to a world in turmoil" - as presented by the record label - is essentially composed of ballads and anthems (but the English word gives a better idea: anthem) for acoustic guitar and voice: a genre where it's difficult to produce something truly bad, but equally difficult to excel. And Tom Morello does nothing to excel: standard vocals, standard guitar parts, standard occasional and sparse arrangements. Occasionally, you notice a particularly ill-conceived melody, a particularly ill-fitting chorus, a particularly generic text.
(The lyrics, at best, always remain at the level: "Ok Tom, you've said something more or less leftist and youthful: I can't disagree without seeming bad, but beyond saying that capitalists are bad and you're against them, what do we do? Barricades? Leafleting? Emigrate? Or play and sing and go around being an American communist?", in the worst cases, they vaguely suggest Luddite solutions, without indicating real objectives, heaven forbid someone takes them seriously and then someone else sues Sony-BMG)
However, the problem, as mentioned at the beginning of the review, is the Nightwatchman Brigade: the site presents it as a form of anarchic/organized rebellion, infiltrating the media system to subvert it from within, a form of subadvertising, almost. Here's how it's presented, the English is basic and I don't think a translation is necessary:
"If You Take A Step Towards Freedom, Freedom Will Take Two Steps Towards You.
The few. The proud. The Nightwatchman Brigade. An elite cadre of dedicated subversives. Your mission will be neither easy nor safe. Infiltrate the media, rally the faithful, resist the forces of reaction, and wield the audio ammunition of The Nightwatchman as a battering ram for Social Justice. How? By Any Means Necessary. What's at stake? Everything. This is not a dress rehearsal. Desperate times demand desperate measures, desperate music. The Future Is Unwritten. And from this moment forward: History Is Yours To Make"
An indistinct "we" will give the members (The few! The proud!) their tasks ("We'll give the Brigade members a couple of tasks at the end of the week") and the brigade will execute and report. So: paramilitary structure soaked in an early 20th-century anarchist aesthetic. I’m eager to know what the tasks are and… brace yourselves: promote the album! Talk about it, call the radio stations and request to play the songs, check if they do and, if not, call back ("don't be shy about calling the radio stations and asking to hear The Nightwatchman. Then let us know where you called, what you requested and if it was played or not. You can also go to the record stores and ask about the album"): the second mission is even more dangerous: design a banner to promote the group! And those who do well will receive a free copy of the album! Signed! (Make a banner promoting the Nightwatchman- mention the Brigade and get brownie points from us. We’ll post the best banner on the Nightwatchman's myspace site and here on the message board. They’ll also receive a signed copy of 'One Man Revolution')
Wow, this really is making a revolution.
One and a half for the music, minus twenty for the idea. What's the average?
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
07 Flesh Shapes the Day (03:43)
Now you might have heard different But I know it's a fact That Jesus, Mary, Joseph And the Apostle Paul were black Ten letters I am writing Each one reads the same Nine circles I am drawing One around your name Land and freedom Steel and faith Tooth and bone and wire Skin, scar, dirt and fire It doesn't matter who you are It does not matter what you say Flesh shapes the day Now it's clear as a pillar of smoke And broken Starbuck's glass Yeah, I support my troops They wave black flags They wear black masks All the roads are closed Smoke is rising from the fields The monsters left their cages An angel set them free Land and freedom Steel and faith Tooth and bone and wire Skin, scar, dirt and fire It doesn't matter who you are It does not matter what you say Flesh shapes the day Veteran's hospitals And witches spells Low to buy And high to sell And little girls Collecting shells And memories Upon the shelves And ringing bells And high school choirs And faithful dogs Beside the fire And billionaires And open bars And early exits And judgments hard And land and freedom And steel and faith And tooth and bone and wire And skin, scar, dirt and fire It doesn't matter who you are Does not matter what the fuck you say Flesh shapes the day
11 No One Left (03:32)
Each one had a father
There's no one left
A name and a mother
No one left
Each one had a dream
A prayer on their breath
The world's gone black
No one left
On the streets of Manhattan
A dusty wind blows
Letters and wishes
A girl with a rose
On the streets of Baghdad
A dusty wind blows
Letters and wishes
A girl with a rose
Each one had a father
There's no one left
A name and a mother
No one left
Each one had a dream
A prayer on their breath
The world's gone black
No one left
Fire and vengeance
In the New York sky above
Stole my angel
Stole my true love
Fire and vengeance
In the Baghdad sky above
Stole his angel
Stole his true love
I stand on my front porch
I look up at the sky
Will my world go black
In the blink of an eye
He stands out in the desert
He looks up at the sky
Will his world go lack
In the blink of an eye
Each one had a father
There's no one left
A name and a mother
No one left
Each one had a dream
A prayer on their breath
The world's gone black
No one left
Each one had a wish
Each one had a home
Each one had a name
A name and a rose
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Other reviews
By TheChosenOne
Forget Morello’s distinctive style and his guitar scratching: the CD is folk, so only acoustic guitar.
If you know Tom Morello, it means you’re a listener of rock music… therefore this album is not for you.
