The Cat Empire "Steal The Light"

 

It's one thing to be disappointed with a record you take a chance on (Birds Of Tokyo), another when you've been given a record and it sucks (Molly Ringwald, Eric Clapton), but it really pisses me off to make a purchase of an album and find it to be as derisory as "Steal The Light."  Should be called "Steal My Money."  After labeling the band as "...one of my favorite finds of 2010," even taking the extremely rare trip backwards in a new discovery's catalog, stating that "...whenever the next Cat Empire record drops, I will get it without delay, no sampling required," I have been humbled by this crappy release.  I usually pass on trash like this, saving me the time, you the effort, and both our cash.  Well, here goes...



Man, that is lame...   I can't quite put my finger on the reason the album sucks so bad.  The basics are all still there, some musical hooks emerge but never capitalize on the momentum.  By the time I hit the third spin, I found myself unable to fully listen to ten of the twelve tracks, hitting the skip button roughly halfway through.  The two remaining songs which sustained my interest also happen to be two of the shortest...not a good sign.  I will keep only one, and it's the briefest @ 181 seconds...



Hmmm, maybe that's it.  This is the only song that prominently features the secondary vocalist, the guy who's a dead ringer for Tim Finn.  Anyway, I didn't see the first negative review for this album and it has charted outside their home country, even cracking Billboard's Heatseekers domestically.  There is evidence, however, that suggests my opinion may not be the only one pissing into the wind.  The record has already dropped off the Australian chart, spending barely half the time its predecessor did.  Uh oh...