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
Waltz
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
When my life and my moods were in order and fine
But the hour was late and my room was a state
And I realized that song I would never create
And so this is a song I discovered instead
The song about living before we are dead
And by living I don't mean perfection like gold
Cos living my friends is the sweet unresolved
LA LA LA LA LA LA LA
LEAN OVER YOUR BALCONIES AND DON'T RUN INSIDE
LOOK AFTER YOUR WORLD AND SHE MIGHT TREAT YOU RIGHT
LET RANDOM-THINGS-PROVIDE-IMAGINATION SOMETIMES OH
I've seen people trying to package their love
Like a dove in the kitchen with a note that says
Make sure you scrub well and plan and prepare everything
Affection as clean as a triangle ting
But love it or not love's as mad as they come
Oh it's sly and it's wise and it's wonderfully dumb
And while some might still say ‘No it's pure like one'
My love it is wild and not mild and on the run
An Austrian waltz is a very strange thing
When it's played in the midst of the Melbourne music boxing ring
And who said that culture can't grow from a whim
My god there is strength when a cat learns to swim
‘And what is a king' he screamed at the wind
A king is decisive without and within
They can't make me stumble they don't hit my chin
They told me I mumbled so I decided to sing
I'd never be too old or bitter and thin
Was born with a smile and I'd die with a grin
And I dive in the ocean when the sky tumbles in
And I'd rise when I find a way to make her shining
And I know the trick that the gods love to play
You say you want one thing they take it away
But action I've found is a seven letter word
Pretend you want a shoe box
And find you've found the world
The Cat Empire's song "Waltz" is a song that speaks about a realization that the time to create the perfect song will never come. Instead of waiting for the perfect time, they've chosen to create a song about life before it's all over. The lyrics speak about the essence of living, not about being perfect, but instead enjoying every moment, which the Cat Empire describes as "the sweet unresolved."
The second stanza of the song talks about how people often try to make their love for someone or something appears perfect, and how futile that attempt is. The lyrics state that love is wild and not mild, and often compared to madness. It suggests not trying to control love but to enjoy it in its disarray. The bridge is perhaps the most beautiful part of the song, and it speaks about the beauty of Austrian waltz for its strength and culture, even in unlikely places. It's a declaration of being fearless and the ability to sing instead of remaining silent, even when people criticize or question your ability.
The song's lyrics teach listeners that happiness isn't a thing you can find or a destination you can arrive at, but instead, it’s something you cultivate through your actions. The key is to take small actions every day and focus on what you genuinely want, and eventually, it becomes much more significant than what you dreamed of initially. The song inspires the listeners to take action towards finding happiness and never letting go, even if it means facing challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
Was going to write a song at a time
I planned to write a song when everything in my life was orderly and settled
When my life and my moods were in order and fine
Only when I was in the perfect mental state
But the hour was late and my room was a state
But the time wasn't right, and my surroundings were chaotic
And I realized that song I would never create
So I gave up on that song
And so this is a song I discovered instead
Instead, I discovered a song
The song about living before we are dead
This new song is about living life to the fullest
And by living I don't mean perfection like gold
Living doesn't mean everything is perfect like gold
Cos living my friends is the sweet unresolved
Living is embracing the unresolved and spontaneous
I've seen people trying to package their love
I've seen people try to control and organize their love
Like a dove in the kitchen with a note that says
Like putting a dove with instructions in the kitchen
Make sure you scrub well and plan and prepare everything
Trying to plan and be perfect in every detail of love
Affection as clean as a triangle ting
Expanding love to cover every possible detail
But love it or not love's as mad as they come
But love cannot always be controlled and can be chaotic
Oh it's sly and it's wise and it's wonderfully dumb
Love can be shrewd yet foolish yet wise at the same time
And while some might still say ‘No it's pure like one'
People may argue that love is pure and simple
My love it is wild and not mild and on the run
But my love is unrestrained and free
An Austrian waltz is a very strange thing
Austria waltz seems bizarre
When it's played in the midst of the Melbourne music boxing ring
Especially when played in Melbourne's music boxing ring
And who said that culture can't grow from a whim
But who said that cultural changes have to be planned?
My god there is strength when a cat learns to swim
It's amazing when something that's never done before is accomplished
‘And what is a king' he screamed at the wind
Someone once asked the wind what a king is
A king is decisive without and within
The wind said a king is someone who is decisive inside and outside
They can't make me stumble they don't hit my chin
They can't bring me down by only verbal attacks
They told me I mumbled so I decided to sing
When told that I mumbled, I decided to sing loudly
I'd never be too old or bitter and thin
I'll never let myself become old, resentful or weak
Was born with a smile and I'd die with a grin
I was born with a smile, and I intend to die the same way
And I dive in the ocean when the sky tumbles in
I embrace chaos and jump in the ocean
And I'd rise when I find a way to make her shining
I'll emerge again when I find my way and make my partner shine too
And I know the trick that the gods love to play
I'm familiar with the gods' games
You say you want one thing they take it away
They play games where you never get exactly what you want
But action I've found is a seven-letter word
But what I've learned is that action is key
Pretend you want a shoebox
Start small and pretend you only want a shoebox
And find you've found the world
And you'll see you've found everything.
Contributed by Caroline C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cal Mòr
Wish this was still on Spotify
Notch
This should be on Spotify
KabelChaos
Das errinert mich vom sound an ein Oktoberfest schunkellied D:
Hugo Ramírez
please come todo México
Omar Luján
x2 :v