Cities (album)
Encyclopedia
Cities is an album by The Cat Empire
released on 1 April 2006. A strictly limited release, 10,000 individually-numbered copies have been made in digipak
format.
On 29 October, the album won an ARIA Music Award
under the category: Awards for Fine Arts, Best World Music Album.
The album was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Richmond
, Melbourne
, Australia
.
As well as The Cat Empire
and the Empire Horns (Ross Irwin, Kieran Conrau and Carlo Barbaro), this project features many guest artists, including:
The album as a whole has a greater diversity in terms of style than seen on previous albums - Song for the Day, Luck Song, and Know Your Name have a prominent reggae
feel, while Miss Soul, Side to Side, Boogaloo and Motion show classic R&B and Soul
influences. There's even some polka
thrown into the mix in the form of Waltz, and Anymore takes on a more traditional latin jazz
style. There are also guitar parts in many tracks, an instrument which until now has been a rare occurrence in The Cat Empire's music.
Two songs (Siente and Song for the Day) are from early in the band's career, and haven't seen a mainstream studio release until now. (Siente was previously known as The Conspiracy, was sung by Harry Angus, and had different lyrics; however the backing chords, bridge, and horn/keyboard riffs are clearly recognizable.) Song for Elias has also been around long before Cities was released—only being played at live concerts (the most notable being the Bennett's Lane 17 May 2004 concert, from which the recording of On the Attack
's Days Like These
was taken. Side to Side can also be heard on a recording of Triple J's Live at the Wireless
from 2005).
The album is no longer available from most retailers, but it can still be found at smaller stores such as Leading Edge music and also at the official Cat Empire website.
When "Miss Soul" was first available for download, it was incorrectly titled 'Feline'.
The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire are an Australian ska and jazz band formed in 1999. Core members are Harry James Angus , Will Hull-Brown , Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala , Ollie McGill , Ryan Monro and Felix Riebl...
released on 1 April 2006. A strictly limited release, 10,000 individually-numbered copies have been made in digipak
Digipak
Digipak is a patented style of CD, DVD or BD packaging, and is a registered trademark of AGI World Ltd., an Atlas Holdings company.-Features:...
format.
On 29 October, the album won an ARIA Music Award
ARIA Music Awards of 2006
The 20th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 29 October 2006 at the Acer Arena at the Sydney Olympic Park complex...
under the category: Awards for Fine Arts, Best World Music Album.
The album was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Richmond
Richmond, Victoria
Richmond is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 3 km south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Yarra...
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
As well as The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire are an Australian ska and jazz band formed in 1999. Core members are Harry James Angus , Will Hull-Brown , Jamshid "Jumps" Khadiwhala , Ollie McGill , Ryan Monro and Felix Riebl...
and the Empire Horns (Ross Irwin, Kieran Conrau and Carlo Barbaro), this project features many guest artists, including:
- Alyssa Conrau (violin),
- Kirsty Conrau (cello),
- Novak Conrad (guitar),
- Julie O'Hara (vocals in 'Song for Elias', 'Motion', 'Song for the Day', 'Side to Side', 'Waltz' and 'Luck Song'),
- Nina Ferro (vocals, in 'Side to Side', 'Song for the Day' and 'Waltz'),
- Greg Sheehan (talking tamb in 'Waltz'),
- Bobby Singh (tablas in 'Cities' and 'Boogaloo'), and
- Kumar Shome (sitar in 'Cities') .
The album as a whole has a greater diversity in terms of style than seen on previous albums - Song for the Day, Luck Song, and Know Your Name have a prominent reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
feel, while Miss Soul, Side to Side, Boogaloo and Motion show classic R&B and Soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
influences. There's even some polka
Polka
The polka is a Central European dance and also a genre of dance music familiar throughout Europe and the Americas. It originated in the middle of the 19th century in Bohemia...
thrown into the mix in the form of Waltz, and Anymore takes on a more traditional latin jazz
Latin jazz
Latin jazz is the general term given to jazz with Latin American rhythms.The three main categories of Latin Jazz are Brazilian, Cuban and Puerto Rican:# Brazilian Latin Jazz includes bossa nova...
style. There are also guitar parts in many tracks, an instrument which until now has been a rare occurrence in The Cat Empire's music.
Two songs (Siente and Song for the Day) are from early in the band's career, and haven't seen a mainstream studio release until now. (Siente was previously known as The Conspiracy, was sung by Harry Angus, and had different lyrics; however the backing chords, bridge, and horn/keyboard riffs are clearly recognizable.) Song for Elias has also been around long before Cities was released—only being played at live concerts (the most notable being the Bennett's Lane 17 May 2004 concert, from which the recording of On the Attack
On the Attack
On the Attack is a DVD of live recordings and videos of Australian band, The Cat Empire. The package also contains an eight track bonus compact disc....
's Days Like These
Days Like These
Days Like These is a British TV series remake of the popular American sitcom That '70s Show. Directed by Bob Spiers, it was broadcast Fridays at 8.30pm on ITV in 1999 and used many of the same names , or slight alterations . It was set in Dunstable, Bedfordshire...
was taken. Side to Side can also be heard on a recording of Triple J's Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless
Live at the Wireless is a radio show, and now a long standing tradition, of Triple J, an Australian radio station. Live music is one of the central philosophies of the station....
from 2005).
The album is no longer available from most retailers, but it can still be found at smaller stores such as Leading Edge music and also at the official Cat Empire website.
Track listing
- "Cities" – 3:23
- "Boogaloo" – 3:30
- "Siente" – 2:43
- "Motion" – 3:43
- "Song for the Day" – 3:47
- "Know your Name" – 3:21
- "Song for Elias" – 4:32
- "Jungle" – 2:12
- "Down at the 303" – 2:40
- "Side to Side" – 3:53
- "Waltz" – 4:24
- "Luck Song" – 3:30
- "Anymore" – 3:52
- "Miss Soul" - 4:35 (iTunesITunesiTunes is a media player computer program, used for playing, downloading, and organizing digital music and video files on desktop computers. It can also manage contents on iPod, iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad....
exclusive track)
When "Miss Soul" was first available for download, it was incorrectly titled 'Feline'.
Charts
| Chart | Position |
|---|---|
| Australasian Album Chart | 6 |
| Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Album Chart |
11 |
| Australian ARIA Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... Album Chart |
|||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 |
| Chart Position |