The Cat Empire began as a trio with McGill, Riebl, and Monro in late 1999, and started playing a wide variety of gigs in Melbourne. The band soon expanded in 2001, adding Angus, Hull-Brown, and Khadiwala.
THE Cat Empire's message, on stage and in the studio, has always been about breaking down borders: musical, geographic, lingual. But they have never done it so powerfully as they do on their new album, Cinema. The album serves up a set which captures the inexorable force - and sheer joy - of their live performances, delivered in a format perfect for lounge-rooms, backyards, BBQ’s, cafes, road trips and parties all over the world.
Cinema, the band's fourth studio album, is a dazzling statement of a band at a peak of its powers, music designed to move the body and the mind. Right from the opening track, Waiting, this is music that leaps from the speakers.
All the elements that people love about The Cat Empire are there but the result is brighter, bolder. And yes, more cinematic. What grabs the ear immediately is that this is not a band playing with genres. In the past, The Cat Empire dived in to any musical style which took their fancy, from reggae to salsa, Latin to hip-hop. Cinema reveals a band that has developed an emphatic voice that is all their own.
``That's a sound that has emerged out of nearly 10 years of playing on stage together,'' says singer and percussionist Felix Riebl. ”The result is an album that's much more integrated than anything we've done before, with a Cat Empire sound that runs consistently through it. The lyrics are perhaps darker, but they are accompanied by music that is uplifting which gives it a strange but powerful feeling.''
Riebl adds: “At times the album is thoughtful, at times it makes you just forget and dance. But it is an album that has more sonic depth than we've ever had before, experimental in parts but with really direct choruses. It's going to be a great album to play live, especially on big stages and at festivals.''
Of course, the stage is never far from the thoughts of this band. In an age when so much of selling music seems to be about celebrity and fashion, The Cat Empire have risen to be one of Australia and indeed the worlds favourite live acts through sheer musicality and the power of their interaction on stage. The band - Riebl, Vocalist and trumpeter Harry Angus, keys player Ollie McGill, bassist Ryan Monro, drummer Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwala (aka ‘Jumps’) on decks - played their 700th show in Amsterdam last year, and will hit the 800 mark in 2010. While it is not well known in Australia, The Cat Empire are one of the country's most successful musical exports, doubling their audience numbers at every return stop.
They have headlined some of the world's biggest music festivals, including Summersonic (Japan), Rock am Ring (Germany) and V Fest (UK), playing Bonnaroo (US) as well as to an audience of 300,000 at the Montreal Jazz Festival. They have also played on some of world's highest rating entertainment shows, including Dave Letterman and Jay Leno. This year their worldwide tour in support of the international release of Cinema will see them return to Canada, US, Europe, Japan and the UK, where they will play to a full house at London's Brixton Academy.
The knowledge that they would be playing songs from the new album on so many big stages focused the song writing sessions for Cinema. The album was recorded close to home at Sing Sing studios in Melbourne with producer Steve Schram, and he encouraged them to make an album that was their most collaborative song writing effort yet.
``That was a deliberate decision from all of us,'' says the lion of the live show - Vocalist and Trumpeter Harry Angus. ``With six people in the band sometimes there will be a song on an album that not everyone wants to play live. This album certainly gets around that problem. And I think that after so many years playing together the guys are much more confident about contributing to the writing. Steve encouraged us to do that. That's been great for us.''
Of working with The Cat Empire, Schram says “it was the perfect studio scenario; amazing players open to trying anything and willing to take a back seat when required. Egos were left at the door.” He adds “In terms of musicianship, it's no secret that they don't come much better than The Cat Empire. Yet Cinema shows that simplicity and one well placed note packs more of a punch and serves the song far more than musical chops alone. We set out to explore in depth the mood and character of each song while maintaining a focus on performance rather than studio trickery. “
After taking their longest break from studio recording after the release of 2007's So Many Nights, the band reconvened feeling refreshed. ``In 2008 we took a break from touring for 8 months. Then in 2009 we released our (live album) Live on Earth” Riebl says. ``When we came back to the band, and then into the studio we all rediscovered what we loved about The Cat Empire in the first place; that it is a band that can do the unexpected, that we have great energy and make music that is always a lot of fun to play on stage. The feeling right now is just like when we were starting out. We're all very excited about that.''
Cinema will be released ...
JUNE 25, AUSTRALIA
JUNE 29, CANADA
JULY 6, USA
AUGUST 2010, EUROPE & JAPAN
See www.thecatempire.com for tours and information
Anymore
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Interesting Facts ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Anymore because I've seen
How men find offence in reason
I save my heart for my family
My soul for work
My mind in moving
Through the world
My embrace not so blind
And my trust is never certain
I try to find what's among us
Not to unite but to realise that
To waste's defeat
And when uncertainty reveals
When the consequences ark
And the act seems in the balance
Music is born from an instinct
And that is my truth
In the moment that I
Need it most
The Cat Empire's song Anymore speaks of a person who has been hurt before by others, and has consequently learned to guard their emotions closely. They have become reticent in speaking about their feelings, as they have observed that people tend to get offended when given reason. The singer decides to keep their heart for their family, their soul for their work, and their mind concentrated on moving through the world. They speak of letting go of their youthful ideals, and learning to embrace the realities of life with more clarity. While trust is not such a given for them, they aspire to understand the human condition and find meaning beyond unity, by realizing that to waste is defeat.
The song acknowledges that uncertainties arise in life, consequences can be dire, and actions could go either way. It is in such moments that the singer finds music bursting forth as an instinctive expression of their truth. It is their way of coping, their way of making sense of the world when they need it most. The song is an exploration of human emotion, and how one learns to navigate through their struggles by accepting change and finding meaning in their experiences.
Interesting Facts
Note: This section uses generative AI, which can be inaccurate.
Line by Line Meaning
I would not tell you how I feel
I won't share my innermost feelings with you
Anymore because I've seen
Because I've learned from past experiences
How men find offence in reason
How some people take things personally even if they are rational
I save my heart for my family
I reserve my deepest emotions for my loved ones
My soul for work
I put my passion into my job
My mind in moving
I keep my mind active by constantly exploring the world
Through the world
By traveling and experiencing different cultures
Although my young ideal is gone
Though my youthful aspirations have faded
My embrace not so blind
I'm less naive and more aware of reality
And my trust is never certain
I can't always believe in others
I try to find what's among us
I search for common ground among people
Not to unite but to realise that
My goal isn't necessarily to bring everyone together, but to understand our differences
To waste's defeat
I believe that not making the most of our time is a loss
And when uncertainty reveals
When the future is unclear
When the consequences ark
When the outcome is at stake
And the act seems in the balance
And it's difficult to know what to do next
Music is born from an instinct
I turn to music as a natural reaction
And that is my truth
It's something I can rely on
In the moment that I
At the time when
Need it most
I require the release or comfort that music can provide
Contributed by Sarah E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Lillie
Miss being able to listen to this on Spotify. Such a good album!
Hudas JewishMusic
I KNOWWWWWWW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IT'S HOOOORIBLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hudas JewishMusic
The day it was taken off Spotify My definitely wasn't brighter than gold it was more like darker than black! LOL!!!!
Alec
@Hudas JewishMusic do you ou know why it got taken down?
Ignacio Vildosola
@Alec I am also looking for answers
Brian Liddell
@Ignacio Vildosola samee
Samuel Wälzel
Nothing will ever be as gorgeous as this album
Seb Skelly
aaaaaah yes. one of my favourites, gorgeous piano solo
Sophia Terra-Ziva
It is, isn’t it! I can hear strong influence from Nina Simone 👌
kermot
@Sophia Terra-Ziva yes it is