BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR : CATS IN SPACE – Too Many Gods (2015)
Near the end of the year, it’s time to recap about the best 2016 releases, by category.
For 0dayrox, the Breakthrough Act this Year is CATS IN SPACE. Despite their album “Too Many Gods” was released at the end of past year, it grow up in sales this 2016 alongside the band’s stupendous live shows. Can’t wait the next CD.
I was waiting for this one for a while… British combo CATS IN SPACE have landed with their awesome debut “Too Many Gods” to be released tomorrow.
Created by the great (and underrated) guitarist Greg Hart from AORsters Moritz and featuring band members with a wealth if experience in the music business for over 30 years, both as writers and performers for bands like The Sweet, Asia, T’Pau, Ian Gillan Band, Mike Oldfield, Airrace, Arena to name a few, you can expect performances of the highest caliber.
First, I want to know how they came up with their name. Was the kitty lover of the band watching too many reruns of the original Muppet Show? Remember Pigs In Space? Second, Cats In Space and their debut “Too Many Gods” should get high marks simply for being totally against current musical conventions.
While AOR / Melodic Rock has been around for decades, this particular sound probably hasn’t surfaced, as significantly as this, for more than thirty years.
So what do the Cats In Space sound like? I’m thinking Player (listen the early ’80s AOR of ‘Mr. Heartache’), 10cc, Cheap Trick, Electric Light Orchestra (without the synth symphonics), early Queen (check ‘Stop’ or the highly harmonized ‘Last Man Standing’), some Chicago in the rich harmonies, and early Foreigner in the riff’s muscle.
Back in that day, much of AOR / Melodic Rock was radio-friendly ear candy (also called FM Rock): smooth, with an abundance of melody, bounce and groove, big vocal harmonies, slick guitar solos and glimmering to flamboyant keyboards.
You could you bob your head, tap your toe, sing along, even dance if you dared (talking to the men here) and, if you played this stuff for the chicks, you probably got laid on a regular basis.
Cats In Space square this and, for a modern presentation, perhaps makes that classic sound heavier. Bigger riffs can be found within title track ‘Too Many Gods’ and ‘Unfinished Symphony’. But these guitars joined with the keyboards make for a magical large sound, you know, the kind that filled arenas nearly everywhere.
But the largest feature, perhaps the motto of the genre, are the vocal harmonies. They are expansive and impressive, as large as any other element within the songs including the guitars and keyboards. Think the perfect storm of Chicago, REO Speedwagon and Foreigner.
I mentioned a few songs earlier, but there’s no need for more descriptions. Suffice to say, everything song is terrific. What’s that old saying, yeah, All killer, No filler.
A future classic – A MUST HAVE
01. Arrival
02. Too Many Gods
03. Stop
04. Last Man Standing
05. Mr. Heartache
06. Unfinished Symphony
07. Schoolyard Fantasy
08. The Greatest Story Never Told
09. Only In Vegas
10. Man In The Moon
11. Five Minute Celebrity
12. Velvet Horizon
Greg Hart – Guitars, Vocals, Synthesizer
Paul Manzi – Lead vocals
Steevi Bacon – Drums, Percussion
Dean Howard – Guitar
Jeff Brown – Bass, Vocals
Andy Stewart – Piano, Synths, Vocoder, Wurlitzer
guests:
Mick Wilson – Lead Vocals, Backing Vocals, Keys
Andy Scott – Guitar, Vocals
Janey Bombshell – Backing Vocals
Greg Camburn – Saxophone
Mike Moran – Orchestra arranger & performer, Piano, Organ
PRE ORDER:
www.amazon.co.uk/Too-Many-Gods-Cats-Space/dp/B015HZP0UM
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