The
Nightwatchman is a solo project of Tom Morello, who has done a lot with music
but is also the author of Orchid, which is how I got here.
This is not
solely a review of music related to Orchid. There were two songs that came
via the comic book. One was "Iscariot". With obvious Biblical
overtones in the title, it is sometimes lovely and sometimes moody, building
its own story as a complement to the comic book.
The other song,
"It Begins Tonight", is also featured on the album World Wide
Rebel Songs. I have been listening to the album, and I have never heard
anything like it. I guess the most appropriate categorization would be folk
rock. It has the political feeling of folk, but it is so much more vibrant and
interesting. The vocals go a little flat at times, but it is minor, and all of
the instruments - drums, guitars, harmonica - are excellent.
There is a
great diversity of sound among the tracks. "Facing Mount Kenya" has sort of a '60 Beat feel,
where "Stray Bullets" reminds me of a sea shanty, and "Speak And
Make Lighting" has a bit of a revival feel with its joyous call and
response.
In my
review of Orchid I was disappointed to not emotionally connect with it;
the emotional connection is here. Some of that may be due to the songs being
more upbeat, and more beautiful. It's not that the dark materials aren't there,
but something better has been built upon them.
This is one
of the most invigorating albums I have heard. Definitely worth checking out.
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