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Cotton DressCatchers22 March 2006 |
All too often quality acts surface and then sink without so much as a sound. Only months or years later, while surfing the web or digging through import bins; or more sadly while combing through stacks of $1 discs heaped in pile on the floor at Joe's Record Paradise, does one come to realize that something truly special has been overlooked. I know, I know, I'm starting to sound like a broken record, but that's kind of how this whole thing got started… In many ways, the Happy Medium Song of the Day is like the Newsletter from the Island of Lost Music. Not every tune I send out is obscure and unknown, but many of them certainly fall into that category.
Catchers
In 1995, Catchers gained some notoriety in Europe with their debut, Mute. The Irish quartet toured the states for six weeks in support of their first release, and then promptly slipped back into the obscurity from whence they'd come. I know about the band because I was intrigued by the black and white CD cover which featured a naked figure sitting (or standing waist deep) amongst the reeds of a riverbank, and holding what appears to be a deep-dish pizza pan next to their head. The reflection of the water in the pan replaces what should be the profile of a human face. It's actually very intriguing… intriguing enough to prompt my purchase without hearing a single note. I must confess, I was also drawn to the band because it featured members with names like Alice Lemon and Dale Grundle. I wasn't disappointed.
One listen however, and I was convinced that Catchers inability to appear as nothing more than a tiny blip on the radar screen in the U.S. was simply further proof that popularity and quality often exist independently of each other. Maybe that's what it really means to be an “indy” band. Catchers songs can appear cold and distant, alien and dark, and yet they also seem to brim with emotion. The vocal play between Lemon and Grundle is very catchy, while the words they sing are poetic and bizarre. I can't honestly say I understand what the songs are about, but I enjoy the allusions and shattered shards of imagery that permeate their music. Today's Happy Medium Song of the Day is “Cotton Dress” by Catchers.
One listen however, and I was convinced that Catchers inability to appear as nothing more than a tiny blip on the radar screen in the U.S. was simply further proof that popularity and quality often exist independently of each other. Maybe that's what it really means to be an “indy” band. Catchers songs can appear cold and distant, alien and dark, and yet they also seem to brim with emotion. The vocal play between Lemon and Grundle is very catchy, while the words they sing are poetic and bizarre. I can't honestly say I understand what the songs are about, but I enjoy the allusions and shattered shards of imagery that permeate their music. Today's Happy Medium Song of the Day is “Cotton Dress” by Catchers.
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