Cats And Cats And Cats - Catsalogue (Album Review)
Monday, 28 May 2012
Written by Ben Bland
It would be unfair of me to pretend that I have always been greatly enamoured with Cats and Cats and Cats. One of those bands that never quite got to where they should have done, prone to crafting songs that meandered rather than made their point, it is enormously frustrating to see the band depart before making a record that fulfils their potential. However, the hackneyed idea of releasing a posthumous ‘best of’ collection proves to be a success with 'Catsalogue', providing a refreshing glimpse into some of the band’s finest moments.
What the Cats have thankfully managed with this compilation is to avoid including any of the overly idea-filled moments that have been their downfall in the past. The tracks present here are generally those that work in the enjoyably wacky (rather than annoyingly jumpy) manner that this band were all about. 'Match of the Day' retains the punch that made it a standout of last year’s 'Motherwhale' whilst 'Kites' is perhaps the perfect closer. A uniquely charming track that delightfully speaks of “scrawling poetry to the stars above the earth”, it sums up that, even at nine minutes in length, Cats and Cats and Cats could create genuinely sumptuous sounds.
As a retrospective of a career then, this is rather satisfying. It is not so hard to imagine new fans being attracted upon hearing 'Catsalogue', but that only returns one to the very quandary this band always has had - inconsistency and, perhaps harshly but fairly, failure to live up to potential. 'Catsalogue' is a nice testament to what Cats and Cats and Cats did achieve, but it will never stop jarring that they were never as completely amazing as they should have been. Sadly that means their entire 'Catsalogue' will likely be forgotten, which is a great shame.
'Catsalogue' is out now via Function Records.
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