After a teaser EP, The Innercity Garden, The Black Watch found its footing again on The Hypnotizing Sea. Bright, clean production (by guitarist Tim Boland) sets the scene for Frederick's strongest batch of songs since The King of Good Intentions. 'Papercut' and 'Story of Your Life' are sparkling pop, while 'Innercity Garden' and the title track are superlative psychedelia. The anthemic instrumental 'Room 407' and the gently bent 'Another Summer Coming' navigate a previously unexplored space betwixt the band's extremes. 'The Teacup Song' and 'The Way of the World' drop the literary/musical yoga for simple, sedate emotional release. Frederick again pays tribute to his formative influences, with the unabashed love ode 'The Shakespeare Song' and the more contemplative 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan' in which he uses the iconic songwriter to work through his melancholy moods. Frederick's son Chandler, first rhapsodized on 'Flowering' 14 years earlier, guests on keyboards. A smashing return to form.

Reviewed in Trouser Press by Michael Toland, USA

John Andrew Frederick has been making pop music with a revolving band of players under The Black Watch name for two decades. Although based in California (Santa Barbara, to be precise), Frederick’s inspiration lives across the oceans: In Britain and to an even larger degree in New Zealand and Australia. The noisy kick off to ‘Innercity Garden’ sounds like a refugee from 1980's New Zealand noisepop like the Cleans. The metallic squeal, tremulous vocal and the piano-sitar-radio mish-mash at the end of the title track charts a similar course. Most of the rest of the The Hypnotizing Sea tones things down a notch and keeps its feet in the territory laid out by The Go-Betweens. Acoustic strummer ‘Buttercup Fairchild’ – an ode to a troubled beauty – sets the tone. Frederick’s voice is pleasant, but not blessed with an overwhelming range. Instead he gets by on intelligent, sometimes tart, wordplay. This also justifies his harmonica-heavy tribute to Bob Dylan. Fans of Antipodean pop, or the witty lyrics of performers like Edwyn Collins will find the set entertaining.

Reviewed at Pennyblack Music by Andrew Carver, UK

TBW are an indie quartet from LA with lashings of lush, dreamy-sounding pop being the order of the day. There have been comparisons aplenty to the likes of My Bloody Valentine and XTC, and even New Order and it’s easy to see why. Plenty of layered guitars (both electric and acoustic) with some of the cleverest lyrics put to music. The emotional impact of the lead singers' vocals can, in an instant, leave you both sad and smiling. Altogether a lush, melodic album with fantastic production and it’s certainly hoped that TBW build up a following in the UK and Europe that they definitely deserve.

Reviewed in Modern Dance by Liam, UK

John Andrew Fredrick's goal to pursue an elegant, post-punk-tinged vein of reflective pop/rock continues on The Hypnotizing Sea, one of the better titles of The Black Watch's now extensive discography. Certainly some of his influences are far from hidden - calling a song 'Dylan Dylan Dylan' leaves little room for doubt, as does calling another 'The Shakespeare Song'. But in both cases the intent is not to claim a mantle but cleverly acknowledge inspiration, the former's harmonica-tinged arrangement a gentle homage (killer line, meanwhile - "Dylan, well he ain't my saviour/That is Jesus's job…"). Everything cracks fiercely to life from the start, with 'Innercity Garden' beginning with a huge, blistering riff that lives in the red by default, while Fredrick delivers the vocals in his usual clear, rich style as he rides a gentle glam-descend verse structure to the full.

Nothing is quite so loud sounding on the rest of the album but it's a great call to arms for an enjoyable effort. What's perhaps most remarkable in listening to The Hypnotizing Sea is realizing how readily Fredrick has shown how he can create enough twists and turns on his well-established sound to still intrigue a listener - much like, say, groups such as The Church or, until their untimely end, The Go-Betweens. Both have their clear influence on Fredrick's work as well, but he has established his own individual place, audible on the reflective acoustic/electric 'The Teacup Song' and the exuberant, shoegaze-tinged full rush of the instrumental 'Room 407'. Best line of the whole album is on the wonderful title track: "You see it's not that easy to hang with freakazoids/On account of most of them are fully unemployed."

Reviewed in All Music Guide by Ned Raggett, USA

The expression "you learn something new everyday" is very appropriate for this post. I was very interested when I received an email from John Frederick - guitarist and vocalist for the LA band The Black Watch. My interest quickly turned to embarrassment after clicking the link in the email. The fact is The Black Watch have been together since 1987 and damn I should have known about this band. How I missed on this one is a complete mind blowing mystery to me. I was really taken further into embarrassment when I listened to the wonderfully crafted pop gems that The Black Watch deliver. It is unforgiveable on my part to have missed music this good. Since I have just learned, here is a decent background from the bands MySpace page if you are not familiar with The Black Watch:

"The Black Watch are from Los Angeles and have made ten CDs of dreamy, beautiful, literate indie pop: The Hypnotizing Sea, Very Mary Beth, Jiggery-Pokery, The King Of Good Intentions, Lime Green Girl and Amphetamines, among others - all of which are available from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or from your friendly neighborhood indie store or Virgin or Tower. You are nicely situated to listen to the band's new single 'Innercity Garden, from The Hypnotizing Sea CD/LP on Pink Hedgehog UK. 'The Teacup Song' and 'Buttercup Fairchild' are two other cuts from the new album, while 'The Girl Of My Dreams' is from the Very Mary Beth CD on Stonegarden Records. The new CD is out in the UK now, and getting wonderful reviews (Google them!), but it's also available in the United States from Not Lame, Parasol, Insound, and Tonevendor. The band are currently in the studio recording thirteen new tracks for a full-length tentatively titled Tatterdemalion."

This is enticing indie dream pop, a pure delight to the ears!

Reviewed at Mars Needs Guitars by Merz, USA

THE BLACK WATCH writes some very smart songs and the lyrics are always amusing. We’re baffled that they have 10 albums to their name, which have been highly praised, yet they haven’t near the level of success that so many people think they deserve. I’ve tried to compare & pinpoint their sound and I just can’t. There are moments, just moments, when I hear a little CAMPER VAN BEETHOVEN, THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS, GIN BLOSSOMS, XTC, THE CHURCH, THE JAZZ BUTCHER, and even a little CURE in them. Yes, these bands are quite different from one another. In the end, THE BLACK WATCH really has a sound and style all their own.

‘Buttercup Fairchild’ – I just adore this charming song!!! I know that on the coldest and greyest of days I will suddenly feel the sun penetrating my skin when I play this tune – a tune that just lifts my soul. One of my favorites on this fantastic album! ‘Shakespeare’ – The first thing you notice about this catchy track is the witty lyrics that we were raving about earlier. “Your eyes are crooked as the local council guy, who stole himself a large piece of the pie from the coffers, now they want to go and hang him high.”

‘The Hypnotizing Sea’ – A magical song that sticks to you like glue. There’s a lot of interesting things going on in this song – the title is a perfect fit. A definite highlight on this release. ‘Papercut – This track is pure perfection… and a song we all can relate to. “Papercut when I’m with you. I don’t want to, but I want you. I don’t want you, but I want to. It’s not enough, it’s everything.” An extremely pretty song and another personal favorite. An extremely well-written song all the way around. ‘How I Go Round’ and ‘Another Summer Coming’ are other fantastically brilliants tracks.

‘Room 407’ is a gorgeously arranged and uplifting instrumental. They're hip, they're fun, they're sophisticated, and they are definitely song-writing masters! This cd has been playing in my home daily for the last 2 months. Check THE BLACK WATCH out. You’ll be so happy you did.

Reviewed at Babble And Beat, USA

The label-hopping minstrels of indie pop storm onto the stage once again with this new album featuring the bizarre ballad, 'Buttercup Fairchild' and the elegant, delicious 'Papercut'. There's a soft, guitar driven country vibe on 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan' while 'The Hypnotizing Sea' is dark, poetic, moving and intoxicating. The otherworldly edge entwined within the beats is captivating; haunting to the extreme. A tad drab and sophisticated for the fans of generic pop music, THE BLACK WATCH provides proof that there might just be some hope left for the indie-lobby. Here, there's a story in the song. Delight in the pleasure.

Reviewed in Spill by Martin Drury, UK

Are SNOW PATROL out of their minds on magic mushrooms? The Hypnotizing Sea is a memorable album, laced with pop and purpose. Think THE LILAC TIME sitting on better songs or a whacked-out LLOYD COLE with plenty of commotion. Vocalist, John Andrew Fredrick has the right style, offering up urban mantras like an American JULIAN COPE. Unconventional and all the better for it, this album keeps you guessing. OK, it may steer close to whimsy at certain points, but it never tips over the edge. THE BLACK WATCH have the knack of pulling something special out of the bag. Just when you think you have got them figured out. They rip it up on tracks like 'Papercut', 'How I Go Around' and 'Room 407', but also have wonderful lulls too - 'The Teacup Song' and 'Another Summer Coming' are the saddest things you have heard in ages. All in all, pretty bloody spectacular. A great big thumbs-up here. (9/10)

Reviewed in Positive Creed, UK

For an American band, The Black Watch are incredibly English sounding. In many ways they are a good counterpart to The Relationships from Oxford. The Relationships suburban blues are transplanted to the town on lead track 'Innercity Garden' and the chorus of 'Papercut' is reminiscent of The Lightning Seeds fine knack with a pop tune. Elsewhere the Englishness is at a heightened state on the lovely acoustic number 'The Teacup Song' and the incessantly chirpy keyboard led 'Another Summer Coming'.

I was thinking how much track four sounded like Dylan and when I looked at the tracklisting the band has done my job for me already. The song's name? 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan'. 'Willing To Wait' is a cool idea, a tune played on an unplugged electric, seemingly down a phone line to the studio. It's a remarkably consistent album, only let down briefly by the title track, a lolling trip through history that degenerates into a free form mess. The Black Watch have come up with an album of gentile indie pop and you sense there's plenty more to come.

Reviewed at Russell's Reviews by Russell Barker, UK

In a sense, you can't help but admire any band whose time together is in double figures even if their sales aren't, so we're properly in awe of LA's THE BLACK WATCH, now 18 years into a career that's the very definition of cult. We jest with the numbers, of course, but still it's difficult to understand, when listening to this latest album, why that biggish breakthrough's never quite come; after all, they frequently summon up the skewed sophistication of THE GO-BETWEENS or THE BLUE NILE, especially on the very lovely title track, while they're hardly bashful when it comes to swiping every stripe of indie they can find, veering from robust near-early-Brit Pop on 'Willing To Wait' to twinkly velveteen post-rock in 'Room 407', and John Fredrick's vocals are awash with lugubrious erudition and candid welcome. Sure, it's probably still not going to ensnare the world, but The Watch are well worthy of your time.

Reviewed in Rock Sound by Iain Moffat, UK

In 2005, Pink Hedgehog released three notable albums. First, we have The Hypnotizing Sea by THE BLACK WATCH. Now, John Andrew Fredrick formed THE BLACK WATCH in 1987 after he'd received his Ph.D. in English from the University Of California at Santa Barbara. That's a sentence you do not often read in a rock bio but indeed Fredrick has been making Black Watch music in seven albums of shiny wonder. With album #8, Fredrick continues to produce dreamy, bright rock and pop music that is light yet substantial with lyrics that are literate and yet down-to-earth.

Reviewed in Fufkin by Kevin Mathews, SINGAPORE

It's been a while since Los Angeles produced a homegrown band of note and, while there are pleasing aspects to The Hypnotizing Sea, it's unlikely that situation will be changed by an act relying on a tiny indie label in Dorset to get its material heard. Which is a shame, as THE BLACK WATCH have, in John Andrew Frederick, a songwriter who is comfortable referencing Kerouac, Nostradamus and Shakespeare in songs such as the title track and 'The Shakespeare Song', yet also capable of moments of sublime simplicity, like the couplet "Don't want to/ But I want you" - or even the more nonsensical, nursery-rhyme fare of 'Buttercup Fairchild'.

THE BLACK WATCH draw heavily on British influences, from the NICK DRAKEan guitar and strings combination of 'The Teacup Song' to the MY BLOODY VALENTINE-style clangour of guitar drones that opens the album on 'Innercity Garden', and the strident, Hooky-style basslines of 'The Hypnotizing Sea' itself. Any mystery about Frederick's main influence is dispelled by 'Dylan Dylan Dylan', a homage that borrows the light touch of Bob's 'I Want You' to express his devotion.

Reviewed in The Independent by Andy Gill, UK

A great record of a great band who remains, criminay, in the total obcuridade. Led for the talentoso John Andrew Fredrick, THE BLACK WATCH gives to a bath of talent and creativity, proving that the best one of music if finds hidden, such as oil. The band almost has 20 years - she was formed in 1987 - and a long discografia. The record opens in the beautiful 'Innercity Garden', with gorgeous a ground of guitar. One of the méritos of the record is the plurality of styles shown by the band.

One of the great moments is the fourth band 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan', where John uses and abuses the references of the letrista greater of the rock, under an instrumental base of 'I Want You', song of Blonde On Blonde. Other great moments are in the band-heading, 'The Teacup Song', 'Another Summer Coming' and 'Room 407'. One will detail: although to have 13 musics in encarte, the record counts on 14, since the last one starts with a guitar, that lasts the fantastic time of... three seconds! If you to want to know more on the band, visits the site. The record was launched by the Pink Hedgehog and can be ordered, clicando in present banner that in this small farm.

Reviewed at Mofo by Rubens Leme Da Costa, BRAZIL

Following up the wonderful The Innercity Garden EP, THE BLACK WATCH soldiers on with The Hypnotizing Sea. To say that this record is full of emotionally glistening, superbly written, melodically engaging folk/pop/rock almost goes without saying; there aren't that many artists as consistent in vision and quality as John Andrew Frederick and company. 'The ShakespeareSong', 'Papercut' and 'Story Of Your Life' join the EP holdovers 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan' and 'Innercity Garden' in the running for best BW tunes yet, and the title track adds an impressively noisy, psychedelic new wrinkle to the band's natty suit. Surely, with an album as good The Hypnotizing Sea, fame and fortune, or at least a decent cult audience, can't be far behind.

Reviewed at High Bias by Michael Toland, USA

I wouldn't have thought that John Andrew Fredrick could so audibly shrug off the departure of key second banana/girlfriend J'Anna Jacoby, whose exquisite violin, guitar, and backing (and occasionally lead) vocals were so flavorful. But Fredrick remains a poetic songwriter, both musically and lyrically, and has again proved capable of arranging the lush seascape-beauty and primrose-scented aroma of his best work in the last 10 years. Anyone this far into a career that spans two decades that can manage a song as confident, 'Magical Mystery Tour-ish', and cascading as the fantastic 'The Hypnotizing Sea' is someone still operating at peak wattage, and it's
damn time that someone outside of a few magazines/writers recognizes his rather special and consistent talent.

That this LP had to come out on import this time is an American disgrace, but it's well worth the import price, from the sunset beauty of the acoustic-sweetened gem 'Willing To Wait' to the boozy bummer/tribute of the skipping 'Dylan, Dylan, Dylan'. From start to end, this is first rate folk rock and arresting indie pop (don't miss the opening/racing 'Innercity Garden') for literate, intelligent, music-loving fans. The four-song EP adds two non-LP tracks of similar quality - 'Moonlight Thru Ivy' and a louder, more rushing rethink of the album's 'The Teacup Song.'

Reviewed in The Big Takeover by Jack Rabid, USA

Actually dating back to 1987, THE BLACK WATCH has a chequered history with many ups and downs. Despite their name bearing a remarkable similarity to a famous Scottish regiment their music is, I’m reliably informed, best compared to the likes of XTC, MY BLOODY VALENTINE, ROBYN HITCHCOCK and THE CURE. Now I’m not 100% familiar with music of all of these bands but whatever the reference points, I was impressed. The feedback drenched opening of both the ‘ep’ and the album soon gives way to a strong melodic guitar line and what unfolds is a wondrous slice of ‘indie pop’.

The string embellished chorus of ‘Papercut’ is simply irresistible while the words play and musical acumen on ‘Dylan, Dylan, Dylan’ is a fitting tribute to his Bobness - and great fun as well! The title track of the album is a lyrical odyssey, over 5 of the most creative minutes, with an extraordinary backing with ingenuous use of guitar tunings, a demonstrably excellent rhythm section and an inspired use of sampled ‘soundbytes’.

‘The Teacup Song’ is an entirely different animal with a NICK DRAKE acoustic lightness. Indeed ‘Moonlight Thru Ivy’ later also has that special Drake touch, a beautiful, suitably sparse number with just a vocal and acoustic guitar joined by percussion. I was more than satisfied by the first six tracks and didn’t think the ‘lo fi’ did
‘Willing to Wait ’- there’s actually a very fine song buried in there - any favours.

The jangly guitars of ‘The Shakespeare Song’ suggest that THE BLACK WATCH’s music is rooted in another era but the music has a modern touch, sounding fresh and vibrant largely thanks to the distinctive vocal and lyrical style of writer John Andrew Frederick. The highlight of this immensely enjoyable music may in fact come on ‘Teacup Song Take 2’ from the ‘ep’ (Worth buying for the brilliant drumming alone). Highly recommended.

Reviewed in Zeitgeist by Phil Jackson, UK