While The Chocolate Watchband reunited in 1999 after a 29-year hiatus, they've not released much new material since then. So that makes the strength of This Is My Voice all the more impressive. For this incarnation of the group, key early members such as vocalist/percussionist David Aguilar, guitarist Tim Abbott, and drummer Gary Andrijasevich have been joined by bassist Alec Palao and guitarist Derek See (both of the excellent psych-rock unit Rain Parade).
Together they've created a record that deviates from the Watchband's
first phase of raunchy groovers and tender space-outs, opting for a more
modern rock sound, yet without sacrificing their keen ear for anthemic
songwriting and memorable melodies. These seasoned musicians didn't take
the easy route with their original, politically engaged compositions,
but did acknowledge their roots with four well-chosen covers of songs by
the Mothers of Invention, the Seeds, Bob Dylan, and the Music Machine.
It’s over fifty years since The Chocolate Watchband first
emerged from the counter-culture movement on the west coast of the US.
Since then so much has changed, but yet so little. On their new record,
they cast a critical light over the continued decline of a society ruled
by elites, an iron heel held over the masses, while we whip ourselves
into frenzied anger at each other, shouting into the abyss of the
internet. And of course, being the Watchband, there are some choice
cover versions as well to complement their original material.
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