Family Stereo, most recently seen out supporting the Felice Brothers, is the project of Blake Watt, and Remedy is the opening song on his latest album The Thread, which has been released via Bella Union. It’s a song full of tentative attempts to put things right in a situation which, frankly, doesn’t sound like it is going to work out. The pangs, then, of love tattering away faster than the frayed edges can be patched up. It’s a stark telling of that familiar story, which Blake Watt confesses is what he’s been aiming for on the new release: “I think my writing has been getting more pared-back as I’ve progressed. I find more and more that simple is better. I love telling a story in the simplest way or conveying a feeling in the simplest way, with not too many frills.”
Blake Watt used to be a drummer; at the age of 15 he took up the guitar; a wise choice for any aspiring singer-songwriter who isn’t Levon Helm. He’s also the son of Everything But The Girl’s Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt. The Thread was recorded over nine months in the north London studio of album producer and close collaborator Sam Hodder-Williams, who also provided string arrangements and multitasked across acoustic/electric guitar, mandolin, synths and more. “Musically, I wanted to explore folk songwriting but with a kind of lush arrangement,” says Blake. “Sam is very good at realising a sound, and he can write string arrangements, and we wanted to throw everything in the pot but keep it kind of natural. I wanted to explore the pared-back thing, but then his arrangements are quite lush, and I think they complement each other quite nicely.”
