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album reviews

Cats On Fire



The Province Complains 8½ ( 2007 )
I am the White-mantled King / Astray / Higher Grounds / Heat and Romance / Born Again Christian / The Smell of an Artist / Chain of Saints / Mesmer and Reason / If You Must Tell Him / The Sharp End of a Season / Draw in the Reins / End of Straight Street

Every new British group is influenced by either The Libertines or Oasis. Such a state of affairs can get rather boring when a procession of new bands appear all sounding exactly the same. 'Cats On Fire' are from Finland and sound like a mix between The Smiths, Felt and Belle and Sebastian. The guitars chime like it was 1986 again. It's such a pleasant sound to hear in the midst of the mire that currently is UK indie-guitar music. Prime melancholic indie music for those cold winter nights, indeed. The picture is complete when we add in a vocalist with a quiff and a penchant for sounding like a cross between Morrissey, Robert Smith and David Gedge. It's alledged that at least one member of Cats On Fire wears a cardigan. All of this is good so it's a relief that the music lives upto its potential. Right from the off with the great 'I Am The White-Mantled King' we see a sense of joy shining from the melancholy. A band as great in summer as they are in winter. Organs swirls away in the backdrop of the jangle guitars and reminds very much of mid-eighties Felt albums. In amongst the charming crooning a key lyric appears no ones left me, i'm just alone although followed later by there will be people in love. It's all rather very good indeed. Melodies abound, female harmonies here and there. 'End Of Straight Street' which closes the album is just as good as anything else here as you long to see Cats On Fire support Belle and Sebastian. On the surface, it appears Cats On Fire have what Belle And Sebastian had circa 1996/1997, a sense of magical mystery.

'Higher Grounds' opens with what appears to be Finish but actually is English. It hardly matters about the diction as the song swings into gear straight away with happy melodies and the kind of lyrics indie-jangle fans love. A kind of early REM circle song, where the guitar pattern goes round and round and round yet the song seems to progress anyway, through rather than despite of this repetition. Of the twelve songs on the album only the bouncy, jaunt of 'Astray' sounds out of place, a little too simple. 'Born Again Christian' on the otherhand is simply great pop music. I don't know what else to say really, it just makes me grin and smile and the lyrics are all remarkably good for a Finish band singing in English. The real gem among gems arrives though with 'The Sharp End Of A Season' which comes across like a great lost Smiths b-side, and we all know Smiths b-sides were excellent, don't we? A slower song such as 'Heat And Romance' is welcome to provide variety, sounds like a late-night, sad yet keeping warm under the covers tune. What else? How about you try buying the album. It's on itunes and amazon, what more do you need? This band are an anti-depressant amongst a litter of Kasabians and Klaxons.

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