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
Falling
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From the strangers to the ones I know
From the darkness to the holy glow
We burn so bright
Can we outlast the show?
From the island to the world of dreams
From the future to the times I've seen
We all must leave
But I just want to breathe
Falling
My world's up and I'm almost
Falling
My hands over my shoulders
Falling
I'll dan, dance til I'm old and
Falling
Deep down, onward and
From the pilot to the golden sky
From the dash until the day we die
From the laughter to the lonely cry
We all deny
Lie and multiply
Falling
My world's up and I'm almost
Falling
My hands over my shoulders
Falling
I'll dan, dance til I'm old and
Falling
Deep down, onward and
Well I love you like a raging storm
And I miss you like I'm coming home
And I hold you like a fading song
You send me high, high, higher, until I'm falling
The Cat Empire's song "Falling" talks about traversing through different experiences, from the city down to the depths of the world, from strangers to dear ones, and from the darkness to the brightness of the world. The song writer is questioning whether they can survive in a world that's merely a stage show. They go on to talk about moving through the world of dreams and the times they have seen, from the imaginary to the real world. They believe everyone eventually leaves but they just want to keep breathing freely.
The next verse talks about flying to the "golden sky" and how everything changes from laughter to tears, trying to deny and cover up emotions. The writer seems to suggest that although we all deny and cover these emotions, we can't escape the fact that we will each age until we're old and eventually, our existence will come to an end. The song concludes with the writer expressing how much they love and miss a person, who can send them "high, high, higher," until they fall.
Line by Line Meaning
From the city to the world below
Going from a busy city environment to the vast world outside it.
From the strangers to the ones I know
Moving from being around strangers to familiar faces.
From the darkness to the holy glow
Moving from a dark or negative situation to a positive, holy one.
We burn so bright
We live so fiercely and passionately.
Can we outlast the show?
Can we continue living this way without burning out?
From the island to the world of dreams
Going from a physical place to the realm of one's dreams.
From the future to the times I've seen
Moving from unknown future to past experiences.
From the righteous to make believe
Going from truly upright, virtuous behavior to pretending or imagining.
We all must leave
We all have to move on from some things and people in our lives.
But I just want to breathe
But I just want to take a moment to relax and enjoy life.
Falling
I'm starting to lose control or feel overwhelmed.
My world's up and I'm almost
Everything is hectic right now and I'm struggling to keep up.
Falling
I'm starting to lose control or feel overwhelmed.
My hands over my shoulders
I'm trying to protect myself and keep it together.
Falling
I'm starting to lose control or feel overwhelmed.
I'll dan, dance til I'm old and
I'll keep living life to the fullest, dancing and enjoying moments as they come.
Falling
I'm starting to lose control or feel overwhelmed.
Deep down, onward and
I'll keep moving forward, even if things are tough right now.
From the pilot to the golden sky
Going from being in control to embracing the unknown.
From the dash until the day we die
Up until the very end of our lives.
From the laughter to the lonely cry
Going from moments of joy to those of sadness and isolation.
We all deny
We all have moments where we reject or don't want to acknowledge certain parts of life.
Lie and multiply
These moments can lead to more negative situations and feelings.
Well I love you like a raging storm
I have intense, passionate feelings for you.
And I miss you like I'm coming home
I long for you and a sense of comfort and familiarity.
And I hold you like a fading song
I hold onto you and cherish you like something precious and fleeting.
You send me high, high, higher, until I'm falling
You make me feel amazing and invincible, but sometimes it's too much to handle.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: FELIX RIEBL, HENRY ANGUS, ROSS JAMES IRWIN, OLIVER JAMES MCGILL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
PieceOfChicFurniture
This song is one of unrestrained and unpretentious joy and once the trumpet enters at 1:20 and lets loose at 1:45... perfection.
ThatLittleKitten
I forgot about this song for three years until it popped into my head this afternoon
mattspew94
Just did the same!!
Brostro
Amazing song. :)
hear fear here
Love this song from TH
Gabriel Pérez Callejo
I can't take this song out of my head. Absolutely great!