Customer Reviews

The Cat Empire

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The Cat Empire is an extremely talented band out of Melbourne Australia, that can really only be experienced at their full potential live. Stocked with a horn section, DJ, drums, bass, guitar, keyboard, and lead trumpet they come together perfectly to drop funky, soulful, all out party rockin music. Possibly most easily classified as ska due to the sheer size of the band they are by no means limited to one genre of music. This EP is only a tiny taste of their three full length albums released in Australia, but are available in the U.S. as imports. Check this EP out if your unsure, but if you dig their sound go right on and buy the full length albums you will not be disappointed.

I just saw Cat Empire on March 24 at the Blues and Roots fest in Byron Bay, Oz (i was just visiting from the states) and they completly rocked. Incredible energy. I had never heard of them before but now I've been listening to their music like crazy. I love the different but pleasent sounds that they have come up with. Definatly worth a listen. It's good to hear something fresh, especially from another country. Cheers everyone.

first off this band is simply amazing and for the person who wrote "work harder boys" might not know tooo much bout the current music scene, the only reason these guys might end up in a bin for the "funky happy guy" would be cuz the big industry labels keep pumping out crap that everyone buys. all that mtv/vh1/and most radio stations play is the "oh i lost my girl" or "the world sux" bands that want to make u depressed and follow the same formula for every album, these guys are the exact opposite of that. They have a great feel for their music and are joyous and once u listen to the album u want to have a good time. Everything about this band screams "hell yea" from the brass to the drums to the vocals. so for all of you out there who want to listen to the same 'mainstream' crap and wastin ur money for the same stuff, go ahead, it'll keep the cd prices high, if you want a great band and are looking for a cd u can play at any time and like to dance, this is your band, so keep up the good work CAT EMPIRE, we are listening

these people are the best band. If you love this album 'The Cat Empire' you should get Tapes, breaks and out-takes off the website - www.thecatempire.com/ce_stage_menu.html or Amazon.
Tapes, breaks and out-takes has a [LIVE] version of The Chariot, Wanted to Write A Love Song, The Lost Song and Wandering. THIS IS THE BEST ALBUM EVER

Let's put this into perspective. On average, for every 5 albums currently released, 2 would be rap albums, with repetitive, reused beats & samples, 2 would be house/electronica albums, with repetitive, reused beats and synths, and 1 would probably be some emo schlock like Simple Plan or *shudders* Lindsay Lohan. So for the 1 in 100 albums, that attempts to do something a little bit different with their genre, and in this case suceeds, surely some recognition is due. I'm a big believer in each to their own, but not when cheap shots are thrown at a band who have written brilliant music, toured relentlessly and captured the hearts of thousands of fans.

Many bands will struggle to put an album together that is cohesive. And the rest usually struggle to put together an album that has substantial variety. Cat Empire is one of those bands that manages to do both, mixing Latin and Eastern European influences with of course the laid back nature of Australian culture

Here is an album that you can play from the first track to the last. Although there are a few stand outs of course:

1. The Crowd - A plea to society, "let me sing inside the crowded trams, let me dance among the traffic jams, we're going to sleep on the St Kilda sands". Uplifting and progressive.
2. Days Like These - One of those songs that you hum on the train. Infectious to say the least.
3. The Wine Song - Must be one of the greatest drinking songs of all time. This one will have you singing, dancing, clapping and cheering all at the same time. Seven minutes of the good stuff.

So if this album ends up at the local bargain bin, so be it. Selling millions of records, and avoiding the bargain bin doesn't necessarily make you any good, i.e. Ms Lohan. And if it makes girls dance in the video store, fair enough. I, personally, will be dancing with them.

I've noticed that these reviews have only been internationals (for me atleast, I'm US.) The Cat Empire is an amazing band which combines jazz/reggae/hip hop into one explosive package! This CD is a must and will add much to your collection. I highly recommend it!

Okay, I LOVE this band. I've seen them 3 times live and they have terrific energy and vibe. This album's sorta poorly produced though. I love the Wine Song, Days Like These and The Crowd to death but you CANNOT understand how good they are from these recordings, they are just kind of empty and very minimalist. HOWEVER, all that has been fixed with their new album Two Shoes which they are touring now. Judging by the first single Sly, and the song's I've heard live (Car Song, Two Shoes) we're in for a real treat. So buy that one first, then once you're a fan, venture back to this one to hear the unmissables with more appreciation.

I'd be very surprised if these guys weren't hugely influenced by UK Ska band MADNESS (late 70's and 80's) because they sound like this decade's multi-cultural-Australia version of them....and it's about time!!! For those that aren't familiar with MADNESS see Andy C's review below for a good description of what this music is like but basically..this is what music is supposed to be...FUN and INFECTIOUS!!! I can't imagine anyone but the most narrow-minded of music listeners not liking it...so do yourself a favour......<G>

I discovered these guys on the web and fell in love with Hello. The sound is original to me and the lyrics are hot, amusing and are not over the top repeatitive like many bands though they are very catchy.
A summer sound, with great use of brass. You will love it too!

This is quite easily THE BEST album to come out of 2003 (coming from a bloke who spends over $1000 on CD's each year). OK i might be a bit biased, i saw these guys when they were first starting up in Melbourne a few years ago at dingy little jazz clubs. But now they've gone on to sell out an Australian National Tour, performing 3 or 4 times in some cities. This album sounds like nothing i've ever heard before (even their earlier independent releases whimper compared to this explosive masterpiece).
Latin, Hip Hop, Ska, Reggae, Jazz, Swing all combine synergetically to create an album with as much funkiness as James Brown, as much Grooviness as Michael Jackson and as much damn coolness as Miles Davis.
BLOODY FANTASTIC MATES!!!!!