The Watch
Planet Earth?

Being the first review of this complex to appear on DeBaser, I feel obligated to introduce The Watch.

They are an Italian neo-prog band that, thanks to the extraordinary (truly) similarity of singer Simone Rossetti's voice to that of Peter Gabriel and an immense passion for the golden era '71-'77, created this group from the ashes of the previous The Night Watch. As testified by their live performances, the group is capable of faithfully reproducing the compositions of the Genesis, and this is evident in their albums.

The album in question has excellent production, and all the musicians are, as expected, skilled. Rossetti, singing in a somewhat nasal manner and with an effect, very faithfully brings us the young Peter (listen to believe). However, while the guitarist has a technique artificially very similar to Hackett's, the other members of the group are not up to copying the Genesis. This seems, however, to be their intention. The guitarist indulges in technicalities, the keyboardist appears very shy, almost frightened, and stays in the background, the bassist in my opinion abuses the wah-wah, the singer, although the best in this area, as a lyricist is absolutely not up to Gabriel's standard, and unfortunately for him, the drummer cannot even come close to Collins.

That said, the initial Welcome to Your Life, probably the best, is a fine neo-prog song, but nothing more. The newcomer is struck by the exceptional resemblance to the famed British group, and the impression is one of a grand return, at first listen. Something Wrong seems like a lost b-side from '71, and personally, I believe it is the most successful track on the album: the group does not overdo it and seems more credible. Highly recommended for fans of things like Twilight Alehouse. The rest of the tracklist undergoes a progressive depletion of ideas. Earth is a respectable and very troubled track, which after many listens, paradoxically denies its initial impression of flatness; All the Lights in Town is very well-crafted, but here a major compositional flaw of the band appears for the first time. In fact, with the exception of Something Wrong, it is very rare to find a minute of instrumental in all the other tracks, the singer constantly covers the good yet constant instrumental of the band. His voice, although surprising, tires quickly, especially because the group would be perfectly capable of sustaining extended instrumentals or at least a healthy stretch now and then. The World Inside adds nothing, confirming, like the subsequent New Normal and Tourist Trap, the initial impression of the band.

Some might wonder why I don't ultimately give this willing and respectable group a score of two. I believe their very existence is a paradox. They not only re-propose formulas better used by others, but they also present themselves as the new Genesis (there's definitely a distinction between The Watch and bands like The Musical Box), not being up to the task and yet not publishing obscene material. But above all, their existence in a genre that aims for progression is a contradiction, as they rely primarily on the nostalgia of fans, and the genre could almost be defined as Regressive rock or Retro rock. Joking aside, I find no artistic motivation for them to exist.

That said, for people (like me) who miss the old days gone by, this ignoble stuff in small doses creates great pleasure, but don't tell anyone.