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
Wanted to Write a Love Song
The Cat Empire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Oh such a sexy time of day.
For those who call it romance
Haven't learnt bout the
Nature of those rays?
They put some warmth in your spirit
And a twinkle in your step,
When you sing there's an angel,
But your devil has been kept
For these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set.
Manic, magic, mayhem, mr might be moving massive your desire,
She shot the two tequilas wipes her lip
And starts a beaming behind that savage smile.
I wanted to write a love song eh,
But the night time sun said it's time for play.
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
Dream-like moments find us
With a flash they Blind us shining feline tears.
They touch you where it's soft
Then make us mad with that music spear.
We cry tonight if it did end us
We'd have laughed ourselves to death,
Then our souls would find that shakedown
Find that heaven in our chest,
In these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set.
Looking, listening, lunaticing, loving, living, lusting it's divine,
We saw the sign it said a boom shak
From the window in the sky.
I wanted to write a love song eh,
But the night time sun said it's time for play.
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
I wanted to write a love song eh,
But the night time sun said it's time for play.
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
THE CAT EMPIRE!
(I wanted to write a love song eh
But it happened the other way...
I wanted to write a love song eh
But it happened the other way...
I wanted to write a love song eh
But it happened the other way...
I wanted to write a love song eh
But it happened the other way...
I wanted to write a love song eh
But it happened the other way...)
The lyrics of "Wanted to Write a Love Song" by The Cat Empire capture a moment of fleeting romance and spontaneity. The song starts with a simple observation of the beauty of sunset, but then delves into the complex and unpredictable nature of love. The lyrics highlight the contradictions between the playful, joyful aspects of love and the darker, more mysterious ones. The song suggests that love is both exhilarating and terrifying, with the potential to bring both happiness and pain.
The lyrics of the song are characterized by their poetic imagery and lyrical flow. They capture the essence of the band's diverse sound, which draws from a range of musical styles, including jazz, ska, and funk. The song's message is one of embracing passion and living in the moment, even if that means deviating from your original plans. "Wanted to Write a Love Song" is a fun, upbeat track that showcases The Cat Empire's unique sound and perspective on love and life.
Line by Line Meaning
Sun slink down say, Oh such a sexy time of day.
The setting sun puts a romantic aura in the air.
For those who call it romance, Haven't learnt bout the Nature of those rays?
People who see the sunset as romantic do not understand the effect that the sun rays have.
They put some warmth in your spirit and a twinkle in your step, When you sing there's an angel, But your devil has been kept, For these nights where the sun still shine Long after it has set.
The warmth from the sun provides an ethereal feeling that influences singing, but it is overpowered by the darker emotions that come out at night.
Manic, magic, mayhem, mr might be moving massive your desire, She shot the two tequilas wipes her lip And starts a beaming behind that savage smile.
The environment is wild, and the music makes one feel high on life, prompting a woman to happily wipe the alcohol from her lips.
I wanted to write a love song eh, But the night time sun said it's time for play. If these two eyes could make a sound, Then this is what they'd say...
The songwriter intended to write a love song but the lightheartedness of the night thwarted that plan.
Dream-like moments find us With a flash they Blind us shining feline tears. They touch you where it's soft Then make us mad with that music spear. We cry tonight if it did end us We'd have laughed ourselves to death, Then our souls would find that shakedown Find that heaven in our chest, In these nights where the sun still shine Long after it has set.
The atmosphere creates ideal sensations that affect people deeply, they transform into happy tears and then become elated with the music, laughing and crying uncontrollably. They eventually feel a transcendental yet earthy joy.
Looking, listening, lunaticing, loving, living, lusting it's divine, We saw the sign it said a boom shak From the window in the sky.
The senses are in tune with the holy, and they perceive a sign from the supra-mundane through a window to the divine in the sky.
THE CAT EMPIRE!
The Cat Empire is the band performing the song.
Contributed by Christopher M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
알케미
Sun slink down said
"Oh such sexy time of day"
For those who call it romance
Haven't learned 'bout the nature of those rays
They put a warmth in your spirit
And that twinkle in your step
When you sing there's an angel
But your devil has been kept
For these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set
Manic, magic, mayhem, mister
Might be moving massive
Your desire
She shot the two tequilas
Wipes her lip and starts beaming
Behind that savage smile
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"It's time for play"
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
Dreamlike moments find us with a flash
They blind us shining feline tears
They touching where it soft
Then make us mad with that music spear
We cried tonight if it did end us
We'd have laughed ourselves to death
Then our souls would find a shake down
Find the heaven in our chest
In these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set
Looking, listening, lunatic-ing
Loving, living, lusting
It's divine
(We) Saw the sign it said "boom shak"
From that window in the sky
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"It's time for play"
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"it's the other way"
We'll these two eyes they light and howl
And this is what they say...
알케미
Sun slink down said
"Oh such sexy time of day"
For those who call it romance
Haven't learned 'bout the nature of those rays
They put a warmth in your spirit
And that twinkle in your step
When you sing there's an angel
But your devil has been kept
For these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set
Manic, magic, mayhem, mister
Might be moving massive
Your desire
She shot the two tequilas
Wipes her lip and starts beaming
Behind that savage smile
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"It's time for play"
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
Dreamlike moments find us with a flash
They blind us shining feline tears
They touching where it soft
Then make us mad with that music spear
We cried tonight if it did end us
We'd have laughed ourselves to death
Then our souls would find a shake down
Find the heaven in our chest
In these nights where the sun still shine
Long after it has set
Looking, listening, lunatic-ing
Loving, living, lusting
It's divine
(We) Saw the sign it said "boom shak"
From that window in the sky
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"It's time for play"
If these two eyes could make a sound
Then this is what they'd say...
I Wanted to write a love song aeh!
But the night time sun said
"it's the other way"
We'll these two eyes they light and howl
And this is what they say...
Sharle Quint
Was looking for the lyrics guy and found you right at the bottom, here have my upvote
Karl Kübeck
Definitely my favourite track from this group. Incredible.
Renata Donica
Brilliant lyrics. Looking, listening, lunaticing, loving, living, lusting it's divine!..
Steve Dawson
Never knew there was a bonus track on this album. Pretty cool.
Marko Kvasniuk
gotta looooooooooooove the piano breakdown <3
counting_birds
I could listen to this for hours. Delicious.
Shining Sun Visual Radio
One of my favorite songs by one of my favorite bands and I've been listening to it a lot lately. I'm going to have to take a look at your blog.
Hector Pantoja
i love this song. toooo good of a song...
64Rubix
Brass Related Goosebumps!