Two Shoes

Well, I have about half an hour of free time, so I shall spend another session of talking to myself via reviewing an album. The particular album is the 2005 release "Two Shoes" by the fantastic Cuban inspired Australian jazz band The Cat Empire. Just like Wild Colonial, I'm going to try to review tis album song by song, whilst listening to the album.Well, let's get started.

1. Sly
I cannot think of a better way to open this album. It shows the life, vibrancy, rhythm and general essence of the Cat Empire. Because there are many fantastic songs on this album, I won't be able to pick just a single favourite. Instead, like Wild Colonial, I'll pick three and Sly is certainly the first. One thing with The Cat Empire is that I will not even remotely attempt to analyze their lyrics, especially in the livlier songs, partially because they are often incomprehensible, partially because they are often nonsensical and because I believe that you really have to make up your own story to accompany many Cat Empire songs. Just take the title, the tune and however many words you can  catch and make your own narrative. All together though, Sly is one of the first songs I recommend to people who want to know about the Cat Empire (both of those people seemed to enjoy it).

2. In My Pocket.
This song is why I don't try to analyze lyrics. The title alone makes me realize that these songs should be judged on the tune alone and I will do so. In My Pocket is a touch slower than Sly at several points, but still manages to give across the vibe that captures The Cat Empire. A sure way to work out if someone is a real fan of The Cat Empire is to see if this song is on their play-list. l mean, it is by no measure a bad song, there are just many better songs by this band. Also, despite my previous comments about lyrics, this song just loses respect from me by having a title like "In My Pocket". For God's sake, there are lyrics like "Mountains rise and mountains fall" or "Can you hear the oceans roar?". Use any combination of words from those lines and you will have a better title than In My Pocket. Hell, just call it Na Na Na Na Na, seeing as that is the most common phrase in the song, and it will still be a better title than In My Pocket.

3. Lullaby.
This song starts out much slower than the other songs so far and although it speeds up, it still is slower than the other two songs. I think one distinction that The Cat Empire manages to prove that they make in this song is that there is a difference with the speed of the song and the life and spirit of the song. Lullaby delivers the typical Cat Empire lust for life more than In My Pocket despite being a slower song, and I think this is a very important distinction to make. It would be tempting to just deliver the same tempo songs over and over again, but The Cat Empire manages to delive songs at a less than manic pace without losing the positivity and joy that make their songs so unique. Lullaby is a lovely song.

4. The Car Song.
The first song on the album I can actually judge by the lyrics. The main theme is a guy who doesn't do any work in school, despite realizing the necessity of good grades. Now, the typical conclusion to such a story would be (in most genres of music, anyway) the slacker getting everything he wanted. This song is a bit different in the sense that the slacker doesn't get the dream life, in fact a person from his year who does try ends up with the job, the girl & the Porsche (which, for the recored, is not the car the song is referring to). The Slacker realises he's happy with the life he lives and doesn't resent the hard working guy (...much). This is a great way to finish the song. People who don't really try and yet seem to always succeed really piss me off (either I try and succeed, don't try and don't succeed or try and don't succeed, and I feel like the majority of the world in this equation). I like the fact that the guy who worked hard succeeded but I also like the fact the song didn't even try to have a moral and went for the more realistic it's-just-high-school-not-the-end-of-the-world approach, where just because the protagonist didn't pass one test doesn't mean he is doomed to a life of failure and mysery. People can find happiness in many walks of life. Also, the video to this song is nice, simple, memorable and is quite clever (Sly's music vidoe is pretty good too, but doesn't really add anything to the experience of listening to the song while I feel that The Car Song's does). Also, if you can't guess by the sheer length of the review of The Car Song, it makes my Top Three of Two Shoes.

5. Two Shoes
The title track of the album is another masterpeice by the Cat Empire, with a more "reggae" (for want of a better word) beat, slowing down but still being a very nice song. Although I have a tendency to get this song confused woth another Cat Empire song from another album (Fishies), I still think it's a good representation of just what music by the Cat Empire is all about, even if it sn't the most memorable song. If I was to pick a fourth song for my Top Three of Two Shoes, this would be it. Thinking back, reggae may be the perfect word to descrie the beat. Hell, it's not like anyone is going to A) read this or B) correct me.

6. Miserere
After 10 seconds Wikipedia research, I found out that Miserere is Latin for Have Mercy and is also the name of an old religious song. Also, without hearing the name of the song in the actual song, I would have no idea how to pronounce this word. Now, there are three questions I have to ask about the content of this song. Firstly, what the hell does Have Mercy mean? Does it mean have mercy on the human race? A particular person? What? Secondly, Does this song have anything to do with the old religious song? I haven't been to curch since I was twelve and don't think I would know anyway. Thirdly, in a song recorded by Australians from Melbourne in Havana, Cuba, how the hell does a song end up titled in LATIN? I mean, what is the connection? Anyway, the actual song (once again, ignoring lyrical content). Miserere is the slowest song I have ever heard by the Cat Empire and is undoubtedly sad. As previously mentioned, I have no idea why it is sad or who exactly I should be feeling sad for. This does not make the song a bad one. Considering this is one of very few sad Cat Empire songs I have been able to find, I applaude them for trying something different, even if I don't enjoy it as much as some other songs by that particular group. This brings up one thing that the Cat Empire does have a problem with. After listening to more than a dozen Cat Empire songs, it becomes incredibly obvious that they are very similar. 90% of Cat Empire songs are just crazy awesome dance tunes with trumpets thrown in and who can really blame them? It works! They have had a series of albums and singles, which from what I hear, sell reasonably well. If it works don't change it. Despite this, I still appreciate when any group which is under no pressure to anything differently does so from its own free will without outside pressure (insert subtle jibe at basically any governments policy on anything. Let's go Australia and Climate change this time). Anyway, whether you consider the Cat Empire successful at a new variety of music, you must at least respect them for attempting a song which, theoretically, could be unappreciated by some listeners. You listen to Cat Empire songs for life, for oy and to dance. None of these motivations are to be found in Miserere. Although Miserere is not one of my favourite songs by The Cat Empire, it is without a doubt the saddest song I have ever heard, and I don't even know what it's about (quick clarification, Miserere is the saddest song that has tried to be sad. Fifty in Five is an incredibly sad song in the sense that it shows a bleak past for a bleak future, despite that possibly not being what they were aiming for. The opposite of this is a song like  Like A G6 which, although upbeat, just makes me feel sad, for the whole bleak future and "these are our future leaders?" reasons.

7. Sol Y Sombra.
After another ten seconds research on Wikipedia and Babel Fish, I have learned that Sol Y Sombra is both a cocktail of some variety and Spanish for "Sun & Shade". Unlike Miserere, I'm not even going to try to guess why. The whole song is in Spanish (or other foreign languages or incomprehensible English. I don't know or care, considering they aren't aying anything important). This song is nice, but very forgettable. Worth one listen to find out if it gives you a new look on reality as we know it and move along. It does have what I believe to be the only serious piano solo on the entire album.

8. Party Started.
The overall vibe I get from this song is smug. And why wouldn't you be? Hell, this song was probably written in a Cuban recording studio between getting drunk and sleeping off last night, living on the profits of their last album. I know I'd be smug at that stage! Honestly, I like this song in all its smugness. It has agood beat, interesting instruments (I swear I hear I hear a cow-bell about two and a half minutes in). Not as forgettable as Sol Y Sombre, Party Started sticks with the usual Cat Empire title focus (which is basically the same as Hip-Hop, with less violence and "haters" and more partying, music and women. An intelligent and understandable trade off, in my opinion).

9. Protons, Neutrons & Electrons.
This song at points feels like it would fit perfectly into an episode of Playschool or Hi-5. And before anyone asks (yeah, because people aare commenting all the time) this song is not educational (at least not in any way any kind of educator would vouch for). Now, this song is not my favourite Cat Empire song, but if I find myself humming a Cat Empire song, at least of a quarter of the time it will be this one. This song manages to really stand out among Cat Empire songs, even if it is just because of its strange lyrics, tune and general sound. Also, I take back what I said about Sol Y Sombra. This one has a piano solo too.

10. Saltwater
This is the third in my Top Three of Two Shoes, and I don't really know why. It has the fastest beat of any song on the album, good rhythm and is generally it is a fun song, which would be justification for any song to be a favourite of anyone. But I think the thing that makes this song significantly better than, say, Two Shoes, is the ocean theme. I grew up near the sea, and this song just encapsulates the crazy, wild, untameable exitement and adrenaline rush of going down to the beach as a kid. I think that that feeling is what inspired this song and it certainly is a feeling that justifies having a song written about it. Also, the slower music at the end surely shows the impact sunburn has on that mood a couple of hours in.

11. The Night That Never End.
Ignoring the grammar in the title, this song just reflects the name of the first song on the album. I think Sly would have been the perfect title to this song. In fact, I think there are a lot of names I would have picked over this grammatical nightmare. All the same, I understand why the name was chosen. The actual song is a duality. One half is dark, slinky, smooth and slow, representing the night. The other half is loud, powerful and dramatic, showing "day" (or something like it. Perhaps dawn?) This all meets at the instrumental peice at the end, which truly reflects the Cuban influence upon this album.

11 & 3/4. 1001.
Another smooth piece that is a chilled and relaxed tune that really reflects a large amount of The Cat Empire. All Cat Empire songs (with several notable exceptions) are either insanely happy dance pieces or smooth, chilled, happy tunes which just make ever ounce of stress in the human body drain away. 1001, despite being a hidden track, is a fully fledged member of the second group and is the best example of the chilled aspect of Cat Empire I know of. Why the hell is this a hidden track? This would have made perfect sense between 5 & 6 or 6 & 7 as an ease in or out of the mod created by Miserere. I do like this song, but I feel it was not the best way to end an album. If you wanted a piece that reflects what the majority of Cat Empire songs are like, so people would remember the album realistically, it should have ended at The Night That Never End. If you wanted the listener to leave with a strong memory of the album, it should have ended with Miserere. 1001 is a halfway between the two, but satisfies neither. It reflects some Cat Empire music, but not many of the songs on this album. Ath the same time, it doesn't leave a powerful emotional impact on the listener. If a song could be summed up in one simple intruction to the person hearing it, Miserere is "Think" and The Night That Never End is "Dance". 1001. despite being a fantastic song, only leaves the instructions (at best) "Chill" or (at worst) "Sleep", neither of which are good ways to end the album.

Despite several small complaints, Two Shoes is a fantastic album by yet another fantastic Australian band. I hope they continue creating fantastic music and, more importantly, people keep buying it.