Cats on Fire, a shambling Finnish twee group whose nostalgic tunes nod to the Smiths, the Wedding Present, and the Orchids, thanks in no small part to lead singer Mattias Bjorkas’ warbly, Morrissey-esque croon, formed in Vasa, Finland, in 2001.
This month, Cats On Fire release their third album All Blackshirts to Me. This is the most accomplished recording the band’s put together yet, which will surely have fans of any sort of indie-pop raving over the group.
“Our Old Centre Back” begins the affair, making light-hearted comparisons between football (soccer) and art/life. Sadly, the lyrics seem to indicate that the centre back wins the heart of Mattias desire, rather than the narrator himself. The solemn attitude definitely is something that sticks with you throughout the run of the album. It’s followed by “My Sense of Pride,” which more closely resembles the recent output of Cats on Fire; it has the jangle and the pacing of previous works, but Bjorkas still seems forlorn. It’s a personal sentiment that should be clear with just one quick glance at the title, All Blackshirts to Me.
Several of the tracks border on the 4 minute mark, or go beyond, which allows the emotional to be built up slowly. ”There Goes the Alarm” is one such song, barely trickling along, repeating lyrics time and time again. It’s as captivating a song as the band has composed, and even in its brooding softness, you cannot escape the affecting qualities. Still, other longs songs like “A Few Empty Waves” have the ability to sweep you away, no matter what point of the song you choose to focus on. This track opens with an acoustic strumming and Bjorkas laments, but it quickly jumps into the majestic, as the rest of Cats on Fire joins in with drums and electric guitar. There’s something about the vocal delivery and the musical composition itself that grabs you and takes you away into some other state–a true sign of musical genius/prowess.
