Album Details

• Artist: Doug Ratner And The Watchmen
• EP:
Lessons Well Learned
• Label: N/A
• Year of Release: 2012
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: carlita on 2012-06-04

Media

Remember when the golden age of punk and classic rock ruled with messages of civil unrest and anger at the corrupt unequal world? Motto-loving "outsiders welcome, weirdos encouraged" Mass-based rockers Doug Ratner and the Watchmen do too. Channeling the Clash and Sex Pistols, the group boldly begins their EP, Lessons Well Learned with "Bomb in the Backseat", which has, like their anarchist predecessors, gotten them kicked out of a few shows, as the song encourages all hell to break loose thanks to technology. It bravely speaks to the "greedy eyes, bloody hands" authority figures determined to make us sheep or zombies who will believe "anything we're forced to read". Loved the CB radio, talking head fuzziness towards the end of the song for effect.

Along the lines of condemning how one changes and becomes unrecognizable under the wrong influence, you'll find "Ghost in the Mirror" and a faster, crisp cover of Pink Floyd's "Money" (which happens to be one of my favorite classic rock songs with epic guitar riffs) on here as well. Showing some versatility, Doug and crew throw in some light Beatles and Blind Melon "girl in bumble-bee outfit" country pop sounds on "Do You Remember". Ending the record, you forget that you're rocking out to a song about one-night stands on "Take Me Home" which has ironic Ramones-style catchiness with amusing lyrics like "the lights were trippy, our music was for hippies". Although the "strange trip" was brief, Doug Ratner and the Watchmen enjoyably made it well worth the ride.

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