This album is nothing short of confusion to me, not because the material is drastically different from the previous Cat albums, but simply from all the press this album has gotten. Being a long time Cat fan I can not remember ever reading or seeing much discussion on this act, and as soon as this hit the shelves everyone is talking about it and complaining about the transition...which leads me to wonder if all these fans were in the closet or simply late on the bandwagon and are regurgitating the same review over and over.
Bitching aside, yes folks, it's a new Kiss The Anus of a Black Cat album, this time with 1980's post-punk pulsing through their feline veins to the very core. Now I really don't mind this shift to be honest, Cat has released 4 good albums in the realm of neofolk, so why not change things up? When Death in June is releasing piano only albums, Der Blutharsch turning to acid rock and Blood Axis are playing strictly acoustic, people should expect the unexpected when it comes to neofolk acts these days, and Cat is no different. So unlike most reviewers I approached this unbiased by the shift in sound direction.
Enough bullshit dude, what does it sound like? Well let's see, take all the heavy post-punk goth 80's hitters, a la Sisters of Mercy, Bauhaus, And Also The Trees, and modernize it so there's not that fuzzy 80's sound and you have Weltuntergangsstimmung. If you like your guitars to be fed through chorus pedals, drums to come from a 1983 drum machine and synth baselines, this album is for you! It truly is a throwback to the goth rockers of yesteryear and personally I think it's cool to make a throwback album here and there for absolutely no reason. The guitars all have that chorusy echo sound that give you the feeling of an abandoned old performance hall or a hazy graveyard and are flat out catchy as hell. The drums are all ran through triggers or are from a drum machine, it doesn't really matter does it, and all feature the classic percussion hits: clappy snares, tiny highhats and that weird Night of the Living Dead soundtrack tom sound that sounds straight out of the 80's. The bass is pretty neutral during all this, it fits the vibe but is nothing really stand outish, but again, it fits the era's sound perfectly. There is also plenty of synthwork thrown throughout this album, and what's cool about it is how it's almost a stand alone instrument itself, there isn't just one or two backlines thrown in to a track, they make appearances on the bulk of the album, and while they are a little on the minimal side, they are absolutely necessary for this release. Lastly comes the vocals, Stef's vocals are a stark contrast to the uber deep Andrew Eldritchs of the 80's, giving a cleaner, higher pitched, and often echoed Brilligesque approach to the music, which ties in traces of Cinema Strange and all those kooky death rock groups as well.
Overall it's a fun album, there are some slow moments here and there but overall it's a fun little throwback album that took me completely surprise, and thankfully I am able to be an adult and not get all butthurt over the change in direction the band took. I can't wait to see if they continue this sound or transition into yet another version.
P.S. does anyone else think of Unknown Pleasures when they look at this artwork?
SHIT RATING: GOOD
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