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
Strong Coffee
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night train rattle shake and rumble through that cabin bunk bed
Now Sigmund said something about this super static travel tension that we get
My magic woman met this woman while the wheels squealed and the tracks they gripped and sped
My Maria got me thinking about soul in a whole new way
We took a stroll got a ham and cheese roll and some strong coffee
On the TV it’s Germany and Italy
You be the Goalie Holly I am the referee
My Maria’s got me thinking about soul in a whole new way
Hey Hey I need some strong coffee
My Maria you got me thinking in a whole new way
When I looked down I found the edges of the mattress start to levitate
The next thing I knew we were above the city gates
Rised over steeple tops and all I could think to say was
‘You be the Kremlin and I’ll be the saint
And you can be the person from the head of state’
The lyrics to The Cat Empire's song Strong Coffee are layered with imagery and references that paint a vivid picture of a train journey with a loved one. The opening line, "It's like the sound of St Petersburg bells banging in my head," sets a dream-like tone with an atmospheric sense of place. This is followed by the jarring reality of "the night train rattle shake and rumble through that cabin bunk bed," conveying both the excitement and discomfort of travel.
The lyrics then take a turn towards the philosophical with a nod to Sigmund Freud's concept of "super static travel tension." This idea of tension and unease during travel is juxtaposed with the magical moment of meeting someone special while on the move. The singer's Maria has him "thinking about soul in a whole new way," and the two take a break from their journey to enjoy a ham and cheese roll and some strong coffee.
The song then takes a playful turn with a reference to a soccer match on TV and a request for more coffee. As the journey continues, the lyrics turn surreal with the image of the mattress edges levitating and the couple rising above the city gates. The song ends with a fanciful suggestion of role-playing where Maria is the Kremlin and the singer is the saint and the "person from the head of state."
Overall, Strong Coffee is a dreamy and poetic song about the joys and challenges of travel and the transformative power of meeting someone special along the way.
Line by Line Meaning
It’s like the sound of St Petersburg bells banging in my head
The feeling is overwhelming, like the powerful sound of St Petersburg bells ringing loudly in my head.
The night train rattle shake and rumble through that cabin bunk bed
The train journey was rough and bumpy, as it moved quickly through the tracks while I was lying in my bunk bed.
Now Sigmund said something about this super static travel tension that we get
Sigmund Freud had once mentioned the uneasiness that people experience during travel, which is caused by the static energy in the air.
My magic woman met this woman while the wheels squealed and the tracks they gripped and sped
My partner met someone new on the train journey and they became acquaintances while the train was in motion and making loud noises.
My Maria got me thinking about soul in a whole new way
Maria made me start contemplating about the essence of the soul in a different and unique way.
We took a stroll got a ham and cheese roll and some strong coffee
We went for a walk, bought some food and had some energizing and potent coffee.
On the TV it’s Germany and Italy
The television broadcasted a sporting event between two countries, Germany and Italy.
You be the Goalie Holly I am the referee
I play the role of the referee in this imaginary soccer match, and you play as the goalkeeper, Holly.
Hey Hey I need some strong coffee
I am making a statement that I require some strong coffee.
My Maria’s got me thinking about soul in a whole new way
Maria has made me rethink my beliefs on the soul in a different perspective.
Hey Hey I need some strong coffee
I repeat that I am in need of some energizing coffee.
My Maria you got me thinking in a whole new way
Maria has been responsible for making me consider things from a fresh, new viewpoint.
When I looked down I found the edges of the mattress start to levitate
In my altered state of mind, I noticed that my bed appeared to be rising from the ground.
The next thing I knew we were above the city gates
Suddenly, we were flying above the gates of the city, defying gravity and soaring through the sky.
Rised over steeple tops and all I could think to say was
We flew over the tops of many church steeples, and all I could say in response to the surreal landscape was...
‘You be the Kremlin and I’ll be the saint
I propose that she takes the role of the powerful Kremlin, while I play the part of the saint, in this dream-like world.
And you can be the person from the head of state’
Continuing from the last line, I offer for her to represent the government head, symbolizing the authority and power it holds.
Contributed by Maria D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Michaël Pimbert
Vous êtes des dieux les mecs!..