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
Lonely Moon
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Killing all the bugs on the pavement
Seems like she got a nasty streak
But she does it in a beautiful way
Like a bullet from a gun
She sparks and then she runs
The only thing she’s sure of
Sometimes … talking about
Things just seem so strange
Lie awake in the lonely night
Things just seem so strange
Maybe it’s all prearranged
Tears on an empty page
Look out the window see the full moon bloom and
This is what he says
Don’t you worry
When you feel so lonely, cos
Everyone’s lonely
They’re all crazy too
Like their mothers
Like their fathers
Everyone’s crazy
Sometimes she gets this way
About her when she sways
Slips into a liquid tune
And vanishes away
And it’s only for herself
She can’t bring anyone else
Everyone’s got a special box
That they keep on a dusty shelf
Such a beautiful dangerous thing
Beautiful and strange
Making love to the night itself
Beautiful and strange
Maybe it’s all prearranged
Tears on an empty page
Look out the window see the full moon bloom
This is what he says
Don’t you worry
If people call you crazy cos
Everyone’s crazy
They’re all lonely too
Like their mothers
Like their fathers
Everyone’s crazy
Under a lonely moon
The lyrics of The Cat Empire's Lonely Moon offer an introspective and melancholic take on human existence, loneliness and the need to belong, and the universal feeling of alienation that seems to permeate deep within our souls. The song's narrative follows a girl in a park who appears to have a nasty streak but does it in a beautiful way, as she kills all the bugs on the pavement. She is a beautiful yet dangerous thing that sparks and runs like a bullet from a gun. She seems to be aware that no one truly understands her, and she is certain of nothing but her own loneliness. The verse "sometimes talking about things just seem so strange, lie awake in the lonely night, things just seem so strange" evokes a sense of restlessness that everyone can relate to. After all, don't we all feel an inexplicable sense of alienation from time to time?
In the chorus, the anonymous "he" with a wise voice offers a reassuring message that everyone is crazy and lonely in their unique ways, and that it is okay to feel these emotions. Perhaps, it is a reminder that our feelings of loneliness and madness are an essential component of our humanity, and by embracing them, we create a sense of interconnectedness with the rest of humanity.
Overall, The Cat Empire's Lonely Moon is a poignant and insightful reflection of loneliness, and the need to belong, and it resonates with anyone who has ever felt like they were the only stranger in a familiar group.
Line by Line Meaning
Girl in the park one day
A girl was in the park one day
Killing all the bugs on the pavement
She was killing all the bugs that were present in the pavement
Seems like she got a nasty streak
It appears that the girl has an unpleasant tendency
But she does it in a beautiful way
However, she does it in an aesthetically pleasing manner
Like a bullet from a gun
Like a projectile from a firearm
She sparks and then she runs
She ignites then flees the scene
The only thing she’s sure of
The only thing she is certain about
Is that no one really understands
Is that no one is capable of comprehending her actions
Sometimes … talking about
Occasionally, conversations about
Things just seem so strange
Things seem peculiar
Lie awake in the lonely night
Lying awake during a night of solitude
Things just seem so strange
Things seem peculiar
Maybe it’s all prearranged
Perhaps, everything is planned in advance.
Tears on an empty page
Crying on a piece of paper with no words on it
Look out the window see the full moon bloom and
When you look out of the window and see the full moon glistening
This is what he says
This is what he utters
Don’t you worry
You don't have to be concerned
When you feel so lonely, cos
When you feel so alone because
Everyone’s lonely
Everybody experiences loneliness
They’re all crazy too
People are also insane
Like their mothers
Similar to their mothers
Like their fathers
Similar to their fathers
Everyone’s crazy
Everyone is insane
Sometimes she gets this way
At times she experiences this feeling
About her when she sways
When she sways, a particular sentiment engulfs her
Slips into a liquid tune
She transitions into a fluid melody
And vanishes away
And disappears
And it’s only for herself
And it is exclusively for her
She can’t bring anyone else
She is incapable of sharing it with others
Everyone’s got a special box
All individuals have a unique container
That they keep on a dusty shelf
That is kept on a dusty shelf
Such a beautiful dangerous thing
A thing that is beautiful yet dangerous
Beautiful and strange
Attractive and unusual
Making love to the night itself
Engaging in sexual intercourse with the night
Maybe it’s all prearranged
Perhaps, everything is planned in advance.
Tears on an empty page
Crying on a piece of paper with no words on it
Look out the window see the full moon bloom
When you look out of the window and see the full moon glistening
Don’t you worry
You don't have to be concerned
If people call you crazy cos
If individuals deem you to be insane because
Everyone’s crazy
Everyone is insane
They’re all lonely too
People also experience loneliness
Under a lonely moon
Under the influence of a lonesome moon
Contributed by Jayce I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kısaca Moon
ı was just searching my name and found this!, underrated.
Sebas-chan roboto
why does this only have 17 likes this is a crime!!
Rai Wll
wow
Bintang Aji Wibowo
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