Autumn Waves (2007)
Autumn Waves
Samples (5 of the 10 tracks):
The third album is always a real tester for any act and for Broken Watch it was no different. It took nearly three years to complete Autumn Waves due primarily to a busy gigging schedule during 2004 and 2005. In 2006, the band stopped touring due to various personal commitments but vowed to finish off the album that had been in gestation for so long.
Songs like “The Lighthouse Song”; a tongue in cheek swipe at a venue that cancelled the band the day before a big gig in favour of a disco; and “Autumn Waves” had been written back in 2004 and, for the former, performed live on numerous occassions before actually being recorded in 2007. “Mr. Harper”, a retro-style tribute to a well loved local character, was another song that was written some three years before it was recorded.
The one anomaly on the album is “Let’s Sing This Song Together” which was recorded back in 2004 and was the band’s entry into that year’s BBC Children In Need “Be The Band” competition. The band were interviewed live on BBC Radion Essex and the song was played to attract votes. The band didn’t win the competition but achieved a respectable 3rd in the Essex heat. The main thing was that a Broken Watch song had received airplay for the very first time. “24 Hours From You” would be the second song to feature on radio - Dream 100FM in 2008!
Unlike either of the previous Broken Watch albums, Autumn Waves ventured more into the progressive style, with keyboards becoming a far more prominent instrument. “Crossroads” a six minute song especially written to be used in presentations by the Essex careers service Connexions, is a case in point along with “Memoirs”; the bands first ever 100% instrumental track.
Matt Summers provided the stunning photography.