mike haggith - neighborhood watch ii: where it ends

     The 47th official release in Haggith's solo catalogue, Neighborhood Watch II: Where It Ends is, as the title suggests, a sequel album to Neighborhood Watch, which was released the previous year. This record is comprised of some tracks which were part of the original Neighborhood Watch sessions but not included on the final record, a few newly-written tracks, as well as a carefully curated selection of tracks Haggith had written in his mid-teenage years. As was standard for his solo releases between 2012 and 2015, all instruments were recorded and mixed at Haggith's home studio in Windsor, ON, and all vocal tracks were recorded at PaperClip Productions in Sault Ste Marie, ON. The record, while not a concept by any means, loosely examines themes including young and unrequited love, dangerous thrill-seeking, and interpersonal loss.

     In terms of its sound, this is the first solo record from Haggith to heavily feature orchestration supplementing the more traditional rock arrangements of his output of the time. In many instances, the orchestral overtones were purely experimental, and only made the album if they were felt to add to the mix. Featuring heavily piano-driven sections, most evident on the opening cut Grace and the late standout Solitude, the record strayed into new sonic territory in comparison to its predecessors. This record also brought with it a new emphasis on more quality vocal production, in the wake of The Present Din's notoriously flat and off-key vocal work, resultantly becoming known as one of Haggith's least-favorite solo releases. This record also broke new ground in terms of experimentation, meshing newly-written material with tracks which were as much as eight years old, though relatively unknown in the public sphere.

     Despite including tracks such as Lacking Common Sense which had been cut from the original Neighborhood Watch record, Neighborhood Watch II was still very well-received, with commendation for both its music and lyrics alike. When compared to its predecessor, the emphasis on higher production value, clearer mixes, and better vocal tracking become very apparent.

     In terms of chronicling Haggith's continued development as an artist and composer, this record serves as a strong example and an essential piece of Haggith's solo discography. While CD pressings were manufactured and sold, they have since sold out, and this record is currently not available in physical print. It continues to be available for digital download.