So Many Nights (Dig)

The Cat Empire | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (April 22, 2008)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Velour Recordings
• ASIN: B0016CP1R8
• Also Available in: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #14,852 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #16 in Music > Alternative Rock > Ska > Ska General
  • #45 in Music > World Music > Australia & New Zealand

Track Listings

1. So Many Nights

2. Panama

3. Fishies

4. Sunny Moon

5. Til the Ocean Takes Us All

6. No Mountain

7. So Long

8. No Longer There

9. Lonely Moon

10. Radio Song

11. The Darkness

12. Voodoo Cowboy

13. Strong Coffee

14. Won't Be Afraid

15. Wanted to Write a Love Song [*]

Editorial Reviews

Dan Lander, Rolling Stone (Australia), October 2007.[3.5 stars]

A new freshness and energy ... as the band further explore their already expansive sound. The album still serves up plenty of the group's familiar Afro-Cuban jam -- whether it's the upbeat "Fishes" or the Latin-skank of "Radio Song" -- but So Many Nights has more to offer than that. There's a big mood shift as "No Longer There" brings some Leonard Cohen moodiness. Elsewhere, the soulful, bluesy jams of "Strong Coffee" and the title track add a new sophistication to the good-time vibe established with breakthrough single "One, Four, Five," with the title track even introducing a subtle Police feel.

Product Description

This time around, the party throwdown that the boys pioneered on "Two Shoes" has crossed the line between mystery and light. And back. A few times. "So Many Nights," says bandleader Felix Riebl, "is filled with little vignettes from our travels, stories that got etched out in the back of a tour bus over the years. You get to a point where it really gets hard to distinguish between what's happening and what's a dream." And so the strange, colorful trip unfurls from the airborne whimsy of "Panama" to the mystifying, swirling thrill of '"The Darkness." It's all melancholy ache in "Lonely Moon," funky as hell in "So Long" and "Strong Coffee," then freaky like a spaghetti western acid trip in "Voodoo Cowboy." From David Letterman to Jay Leno appearances, the Glastonbury Festival to New York's Central Park Summerstage, Japan to Barcelona, from Bonnaroo to the Montreal Jazz Festival and rave reviews at all stops, it often seemed The Cat Empire were sole nominees for Superlative of the Year (Indefinable Genre Division) `06/'07. Like some kind of funky circus troupe, they roll into town, sell twice as many tickets as the previous visit, and a truckload of CDs on the way out. Already platinum in their native Australia, So Many Nights was recorded in Malibu, CA in April '07 by the legendary John Porter (Roxy Music, The Smiths, BB King, Ryan Adams).

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A different direction, but the same amazing quality!, May 27, 2008

By 

C. Baillie "sheep99" (New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Many Nights (Dig) (Audio CD)

The Cat Empire are one of the best bands out there. All of their albums have gone platinum (some multiple) in Australia...it's criminal that they are not better known in the us. This album continues their streak of genius material. However, this time they have more laidback, smokey vibe going on for them. This album, right down to the artwork is amazing! The addition of a lot of strings on this album (particularly breathtaking on "Panama") is a welcomed new twist. This band is continuing to switch up their sound, while still keeping their unique sound.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best albums I have ever bought., June 3, 2009

By 

Cory J. Lewandowski "corylewandowski" (Alfred, NY, the college town you havent heard of.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: So Many Nights (Dig) (Audio CD)

I rarely ever buy albums for their full price, but after being obsessed with "Two Shoes" I had to get "So Many Nights" during it's release. Don't expect the same weird perky tone to it, it seems like these guys sort of grew up between albums. There are a few more slow songs like Panama and Til The Ocean Takes Us All but they all have certain flows to them that make them oddly addicting, like every other infectious song from "Two Shoes."

This album is packed with a lot of different genres, mostly around sombra, ska, and some that just can't be explained. Expect weirdness, after all it IS a Cat Empire album. My favorites from this album are the faster ones, but that's just because of my punk ska roots: Fishes, So Long, and So Many Nights but there isn't a single song on this album that I would say I didn't like. Theyre all very unique and enjoyable.

My overall impression from this album is that it is Cat Empire but more polished. To any fan of "Two Shoes" this album is an absolute must, but if you're just getting into them, start with Two Shoes and work your way into this, because after this album is different from Two Shoes, but in a good way.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What are you thinking?, April 24, 2008

By 

Schway Master "Tom" (WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: So Many Nights (Dig) (Audio CD)

Whoever you are, as far as I'm concerned the cat empire is still one of the best bands ever. This album may be a lot more laid back, but the fact that they're still experimenting with their sound is always going to be an interesting manuever for the band. So therefore, I give them 5 stars for coming out with new material, and yet again exciting my ears