Cat Designers' leader Nick Troop announced his presence as a man to watch with the release of his band's debut album "Chemical Jazz" last Autumn. That album showcased a fertile mind in overdrive and at home with exciting eclecticism. It wouldn't be an overstatement to say that the second instalment was awaited with expectation around these parts.
Not that Nick's after the My Bloody Valentine award for indolence, as "Strange Little Creature" arrives a mere five months or so after "Chemical Jazz", but that's not to say it's rushed at all. Indeed, if anything, it's maybe a tad more polished than Cat Designers' first album, and certainly it's a more consistent rock album, but the playfulness and possibilities are happily intact and "Strange Little Creature" is undoubtedly again an animal of a different stripe you'll want to observe in detail for some time to come.
The album kicks off with the stylish, slightly louche "Vain As I Am", which again checks in with Nick's penchant for early Bowie, but also nods to Suede and (interestingly) the Blue Orchids en route, too. At one point, Nick sings "You can't read my mind" with some relish. He's right, too: CatDesigners are deceptive and always intriguing.
Things continue with a double whammy of catchy set pieces in "A Mind Like Mine" and the title track. The former finds some cool vibrato guitar introducing a woozily swaggering choon, slightly reminiscent of Blur before the heavy guitar artillery blasts in at the chorus, while "Strange Little Creature" is Glam-my in execution ( echoes of Peter Hammill's great "Nadir's Big Chance" anyone?) and manages to be both teasing and slightly disturbing.
Arguably your reviewer's favourite track here, "Good Thoughts" comes next and it's an unnerving beast. Throwing a dummy with a brief acoustic intro, it gives way to a slow-burning, cavernous rock song with yearning E-bowed guitars. It's experience-fuelled and regretful lyrically, with Troop sadly droning "leave the light when you sleep, have only good thoughts of me" at the chorus, leaving you with a tangible feeling of small hours psychosis blues.
|
The fuzz bass and heavily-flanged, punky riffing of "Freak Show" ensure this is another surprise, while the Jeff Buckley-ish vocals work as a good counterpoint. It's a tad throwaway, though, and soon eclipsed by "Heaven's On Your Side", which starts out with acoustic and orchestral inclinations but erupts mid-way with more revved-up Glam riffs comin' on strong. It's an unlikely mix, but works like a dream.
"Come Around" is up next and it's another fave inside this head. This time, it's stripped right down, just Nick and dreamy, Vini Reilly-style guitar, alternating between tender and weirdly threatening as he sings "Which of my thoughts would suit your taste? Whether I'd stroke or strike your face."
The battle between good intentions and full-on psychosis continues with the churning, "Nuggets"-style wig out of "Congratulations On Your Head", which comes on as lustful, clautrophobic and deadly all at once. The edginess hardly dissipates with the ensuing "Strange Gods," either, though with flanged guitars and soaraway keyboards from Qy it's musically very immediate.
Following that, it's up to "White Fire" to bring a dramatic conclusion - via a Spector-ish chord sequence and baroque guitar break - to CatDesigners' second consistently fine album. The word from within is that Nick's got a new rhythm section in, too, so hopefully you'll be able to get the lowdown stagefront soon.
For now, though, I'd seriously suggest you jump the queue and delve into CatDesigners' ever-shifting, always tantalising soundworld of your own volition. "Strange Little Creature" throws attractive musical shapes however many times you place it under the microscope.
|
