Gacha “When the Watchman Saw the Light”, album review

by Susan Shelton

If you are looking for an ambient, mildly psychedelic trip through electronic music, Gacha released a new album, When the Watchman Saw the Light, in January. The album is primarily instrumental with two tracks that feature Natalie Beridze, also known as TBA. Her hushed voice intertwines with the synthesized music so fluidly that it almost acts as an additional instrument, rather than an overlaying vocal. The four tracks without Beridze’s voice are equally intriguing because of the house music sound soaked in a bit of extra percussion.

There is a definite progression in the album from a mellow, introspective sound into a full-blown synthpop explosion. The album is tasteful, transitions well, and is controlled creatively by Gacha until the very last note. Even in the last half of the album, once it has reached its upbeat climax, the songs are not overwhelming. When the Watchman Saw the Light does not stimulate the mind the way some electric jazz style techno music does, by beating you over the head with many noises at once. This album still has many layers, but Gacha compounds them smoothly to sound clean and intentional.

Every beat of this album is perfect. From the sounds of nature sprinkled into “New Grass” to the last track of the album, “Afterglow”, Gacha is crafting a beautiful picture full of motifs of nature, noise, and lack thereof. There is no gentle resolution to the album. It comes up and leaves the heart beating on a high that it cannot come off of.