It's been a pretty incredible year for Patrick Watson. Just eight months ago, the singer exploded onto the international radar with the beautifully abstract and orchestral Wooden Arms and when it hit, the rollercoaster ride started. Kudos flew fast and furiously, cash award prize nominations have been made (Canada's Polaris Prize – had he won, it would have been the second time since 2006), his name has been dropped by anyone with even a passing association and the level of his media exposure has seen a meteoric rise. The mark has been made; the name Patrick Watson has become synonymous with an all-new type of music artistry and style. It's been funny too, because no one seemed to see it coming; when Wooden Arms was released, it seemed to fall out of the sky and, when it landed, it caused a wave of instant fanfare.
Because no one saw it coming though, many listeners unfamiliar with the singer's work assumed that Wooden Arms was Watson's debut album (it's actually his third) but, as interest has increased, more fans have begun digging into the back catalogue to catch up on what they missed. They discovered 2006's Close To Paradise, but had to wonder about Just Another Ordinary Day.
What's Just Another Ordinary Day? It is the first album that Patrick Watson recorded but it never saw a wide release (until now) – it was originally recorded independently in 2003, self-released and sold off the stage at shows. It is the first document that a comparatively (to those that have heard the singer's other albums anyway) small number of people have heard before.
I know what you're thinking. You're wondering, “Well, I loved Wooden Arms – it was great – but I can't imagine what Patrick Watson's music could have sounded like on an indie level budget. The material on Wooden Arms is enormous and enormously produced and needs to be because there are so many inflated little sounds; how could that hope to translate on a smaller scale?”
How it could translate without the benefit of major label dollars is a perfectly reasonable question, but the surprising thing about Just Another Ordinary Day is that, aside from the obvious dollar value difference afforded Watson for Wooden Arms, the vision of the music remains very focused from both an artistic and an authoritative standpoint. True, the whirling, torrential string arrangements that are the drive on Wooden Arms are not present on Just Another Ordinary Day but, because such sonic possibilities weren't visible on the horizon for Watson in 2001, listeners won't miss them because there's no space for them in these mixes. Rather than strings and things, fine, grandiose and emotive piano is the centerpiece for songs like “Mary,” “Shame” and “Gealman” with only occasional and small-scale string accompaniment added for color and beats reminiscent of vintage trip hop (think Portishead around 1994 or Sneaker Pimps circa 1996) to add an ethereal, otherworldly quality to the songs. Watson's own exhilarating sense of vocal dynamism comes as fully formed as it would later appear on Wooden Arms and the slightly leaner instrumental arrangements actually give him a little more room to play as he sighs, swoops, simmers and flies along confidently and easily through these nine tracks and sets hearts to fluttering with the contrast between his voice and the easier and more home-grown qualities that the more economical instrumentation here affords. In many ways, Just Another Ordinary Day could be looked upon as a dress rehearsal for the music that would come just a couple of years later; the only thing binding Watson being the obvious financial constraints required for a larger production.
In that way, while it's likely that many listeners who became smitten with Patrick Watson because of Wooden Arms will initially be tentative toward Just Another Ordinary Day because it seems like a step backward for the singer. That's exactly what it is though! Just Another Ordinary Day is the album that made Wooden Arms possible and, if one charts the growth from this album to Wooden Arms, both albums become that much more exciting; this is the initial map and it's very accurate to where Patrick Watson would eventually end up.
Artist:
www.patrickwatson.net/
www.myspace.com/patrickwatson
Album:
Just Another Ordinary Day is out now and available as a Canadian import on Amazon. Buy it here .
