A gem
Christian Bonner | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania United States | 11/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"the black watch is a great band who keeps getting better and better. christopher smart is the follow-up to the fantastic "lime green girl", but while that album was primarily full-band, loud (but melodic) buzz-saw guitar indie-pop, c. smart places the emphasis on acoustic guitars and beautifully arranged baroque pop gems (with the exception of "honeybee", which would fit perfectly on lime green girl). the tunes on c. smart have echoes of the left banke, xtc, and new order, and in my opinion are the most fully fleshed-out songs the black watch has ever made. "to william, my father, who brought home books on india" is particularly gorgeous, and the others aren't far behind. i've always thought that the black watch deserves far more recognition, and this e.p. completely reinforces it - get this cd and i guarantee you'll feel the same way!!!"