Cat-astrophes

Delightfully Different.

It's still so 'Cat-Empiresque', but the influences give it the feel of a scrap-book of postcards from around the world. I guess that was their aim...

'Cities' is the perfect lift-off to the album - Distinctly 'world', but the addition of the horns breaks it back to Melbourne, and Ollie & Ryan give a perfect contrast to the tablas & sitar...yeah...go the sitar!

Boogaloo - I just like saying the name...touch of Motown...just a touch...a very happy song. Thankyou Mr Soulman.

Siente - If Latin met Rasta...and sang with the passion of the 70s... "Peace and Tequila Mun!"

Motion - Why do I see rainbows and flowers dancing around?

Song For The Day - Mr Marley, we love you. Respect. "delusion makes us manic...delusion makes us sing". I especially love the 'boingoingoings' near the end.

Know Your Name - rain and name rhyme. Funky intro.

I would never make a good critic...I get bored too easily...

Song For Elias - For my birthday I recieved a few vouchers. One was for a CD store. I dedicated it to this album for when it came out. The guy that gave it to me is called Elias. The Cat Empire wrote this song especially as a thankyou for him...yup, that's right. Okay, maybe not - but it is a beautiful song, and there's a bit of a girly-voice in there too (Julie O'Hara).

Jungle - love it. Good steering-wheel-bashing, primate-mimicking, leopard-print-loincloth kind of song. A bit of Rocky in there too I think....DUM DUM DAAAAAAAAHHHHH....DUM DUM DERRRRRRRRRRRRRR.....guitar I believe is courtesy of Novak Conrad.

Down at the 303 - SO Ben Harper! Very much like the slide in there...never mind the cheese.

Side to Side - I think this is my favourite song - oh yeah...get funky with your groove-thang! MMmmmmMMMMmmm! Classic Empire 'can't keep still' song...

Waltz - Not your traditional grandpa-waltz, though there is a fair bit of 'Austrian Oompa'. LA LA LA LA LA LA LA.......this song must be sung with many friends, and the following gem must be sung loudest of all:

"Let random things provide imagination sometimes"

...ooh, I think there's something in that for all of us.

Luck Song - I love this song on a lyrical level. Very poetic, very symbolic.

Anymore - Although all of the songs are still very much the Cat Empire, this is probably the closest to what people would be expecting as 'typically them'. However, there is a bit of a worldy-wail in there ;) Still love Harry's scatting (still my childhood dream)

All in all, I must say I am enjoying this album. I know that they have been calling this a 'project' and more of an oppurtunity to throw a few things out there, but I think the experimentalism has turned out to be very beneficial indeed...

And on that note I will just finish by giving another domestic pearl - to keep the mould in your bathroom at bay, keep a couple of pet slugs. Let them roam your bathroom at night feasting on fungus, then keep let them sleep off their hard night's work in a little home you should set up for them.

I'm really getting into this organic-cleaning stuff!

xxx