Here we go again.
Song #1: Down At The 303 by The Cat Empire (Cities, 2006, Track 9)
I've been wondering how long it would be before The Cat Empire turned up here, the same way Blur, Redgum and Alex Lloyd have all been oddly absent. Anyway, the song.
Musically, this is a Cat Empire song. Need I say more? Well, the beat is lively, yet laid back enough to make dancing completely optional. Unlike many Cat Empire songs, there are not so many strange instruments, more relying on drums and guitar, with the usual use of trumpets, which is an enjoyable use of the usual Cat Empire ability to make any instrument do anything for them. Less of an insanely fast beat, which seems to show some maturity of the group, and also shows that this is one song they really wish for the lyrics to be heard on.
The vocals are fantastic as usual. Riebl has the unusual ability to have a very dynamic voice, but is still able to maintain a calm, listenable rhythm in his singing. The second half of the song seems to be almost a rap, with some absolutely fantastic lines presented with incredible speed, rhyme and clarity. Fantastic.
The lyrics here are among the best for any Cat Empire song, with a clear message. Firstly, the name of the song is taken from a pub called "303". It is located somewhere in Victoria (the band's home state) and has been supporting live music, which is very good. Why it's the name of this song? Possibly just a shoutout, but I think I can make a loose link in a short while. The lyrics describe the music industry, and how it seems to consist largely of people who don't deserve to be there. There seem to be throwbacks to several other songs, such as the concept of remaining positive, from songs such as "Days Like These" and the concept of likening the music industry to a war, akin to the song "The Chariot". Overall, the song is attacking various aspects of the music industry. There is a lot of powerful language, such as calling other groups "terrorists", but the obvious inability to reference other groups which they are talking about robs the song of a lot of impact, leaving only a pleasant song with a lot of unaimable anger. The link to the 303 may be that the establishment supports the kind of music The Cat Empire approves of, thus being an example of a saviour from bad music...or it might just rhyme with TV. I don't know. Also, this song has the strangest comparison I have heard in music in a long time, with a reference to Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I don't know why they thought that was necessary.
Song #2: Rock The Casbah by The Clash (Combat Rock, 1982, Track 4)
They don't get much bigger than this, do they? Short of perhaps London Calling or Lost In The Supermarket, this is the biggest song by The Clash. Like a song discussed yesterday, this song is somewhat open to interpretation when it really should not be.
The music is what makes this song a classic in my mind. Although the lyrics are important, the music is what grabs people the fastest and keeps this song on as many playlists as it's on. Guitar, piano, drums, watch alarm. You know, the usual tools of a great song. The watch alarm actually really irritated me during this song. On a regular Clash song, or any song by the majority of the artists I listen to, it would fit, as the song is a cacophony of sound, and the watch alarm would only emphasise the noise and spontaneity of the track, but "Rock The Casbah" is a polished and well-formed song that doesn't deserve to be treated as a different kind of song.
The vocals are the weakest part of this song. Strummer is a great musician, and The Clash deserve every bit or praise they receive and more, but fuck me is that man difficult to understand most of the time. This song is reasonable, but I think it's only thanks to the backing singers in the chorus that I know what the fucking thing is called.
Lyrically, this song tells the story of an unspecified Middle Eastern leader banning rock music, resulting in mass opposition to his actions by the majority of his citizenship. There may be an actual historical setting for this song, but I don't think it really matters. The moral of the song is that attempts to abuse power and change a regular part of people's lives will eventually result in failure. Knowing The Clash's style, I'd say this is a response to something happening in Britain at the time, but I'm not going to sit here taking wild guesses as to what. The problem with the song is that it can be taken far too literally. Somehow, the US managed to interpret this song as backing US intervention in the Middle East. Huh. Only the US government can hear a song about unreasonable and unnecessary abuses of power and think it advocates invading a country. Just...wow. How can.... I don't even....gyuh. That's right. I'm ending this on the phrase "gyuh".
Song #3: High Seas by The Herd (An Elefant Never Forgets, 2003, Track 13)
For the sake of keeping these posts honest, the track that I actually should be looking at was Ben Folds intro to one of his live albums, which consisted mainly of him talking and applause. I can bullshit about any song, but that is really pushing it, so I skipped it. I beg your forgiveness, non-existent audience.
Musically, the entire album is a little odd by my more modern impressions of The Herd. At this stage in their careers they seem to have been doing individual tracks, then throwing them on the same album. This may be a wild accusation, but it sounds exactly like that. This track is a good combination of hip-hop and sampling, which seem to make up the majority of the other tracks individually. The sampled track in the background really makes the message being conveyed confusing. The music seems something more akin to a Massive Attack album with a drum machine played over it than something out of an old school Herd track. Interesting, certainly, but still somewhat confusing. And then at the end of the track, it switches to an acoustic song, with singing and guitar over the sound of the ocean. I do not know. I am aware the whole goal of the album was basically to play around with music (I hope this wasn't their idea of polished) but this is a really weird switch.
Vocally, the rappers have pretty good rhythm, although it is a little bit difficult to understand them at points, though, as at one point they seem to attempt to rap over a sampled speech, which is a bloody stupid thing to do, as in the end, no one hears either of the two sounds. Good, and you can definitely hear the first steps into what will develop later in The Herd's career.
This song has brought me a fantastic moment of amusement in searching for the lyrics. For those who don't know, there are actually two groups called The Herd. One is an Australian hip-hop group, who I am currently talking about, but the other is British rock group from the 1960's. The website which I use for lyrics did not know there was a difference. I cannot wait for the next person who is seeking "I Don't Want Our Loving To Die" ends up reading the lyrics of "77%". Moving along, though, the lyrics for this song are pretty vague, but with The Herd, it's pretty easy to make an educated guess. "In other ports they've mutinied and the guards can't quell them." So, politics. Or "This circle is dominated by money...", making it about corporations. Or considering the time and the concept of criminals operating at sea, I'd be willing to say this is a go at the government's handling of the Tampa Affair. In the end though, it's probably a mix of the three.
Winners:
First Category: Music:
Although "Rock The Casbah" is probably the best Clash song musically, it cannot hold up against pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. The Cat Empire clearly wins this, with The Clash coming a close second. The Herd really aren't doing anything with the music of their song to even suggest they care, considering it clashes completely with the topic of the song or the mood it seems to be trying to create.
Second Category: Vocals:
Again, this is a hands-down win for The Cat Empire. The other two groups are pretty damn close, but I can make out more by The Herd than by The Clash.
Third Category: Lyrics:
Although all three of the lyric sets seem to be open to interpretation, The Clash have the most direct message, and that is very enjoyable. The Herd and Cat Empire both lose me a little in their lyrics, as The Herd don't really seem sure who they're attacking, while The Cat Empire seems to be, but doesn't elaborate. Overall, similar problems. In the end it comes down to a single question: TMNT simile vs. pirate analogy. How in sweet holy fuck did I go from two of my favourite Australian groups to pirates vs. ninjas!? Normally, I'd say ninjas win, but the simile comes from nowhere, while The Herd based their entire song around it, so The Herd is the runner up.
Winners:
1. "Down At The 303" by The Cat Empire
2. "Rock The Casbah" by The Clash
3. "High Seas" by The Herd
I'm starting to think I should award more points to lyrics, as I honestly think "Rock The Casbah" is superior to pretty much anything by The Cat Empire. It's my broken system, but I think I'll stick with it.
Feedback more than welcome...I'm so lonely.
H. Rourke
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