By and large I hate pretty much all music produced after the year 2000: don't get me wrong, I listen to just about every genre under the sun (electronica, punk, ska, hip hop, classic rock, grunge, the list goes on . . .), but over the last couple of years it seems that the music industry has taken up permanent residence in the shitter. There's been almost nothing that I've been the least bit interested in. I used to be baffled at why my parents wouldn't listen to anything recorded less than 30 years ago, but I can understand where they're coming from now: they found what they liked and basically just said to hell with new music, much like I am doing now. And while I'm not as musically hip as I was a few years ago, I'm OK with that and it makes the times when I actually do discover a new band truly special. Something has to resonate with me, it can't just be the latest all-filler-no-killer shit that the labels are trying to cram down my throat. The Cat Empire manages to do this.
They're a six-piece from Down Under that, as many cool bands manage to do, defy classification. They're (get ready for the weirdest combination of groups and genres ever) part reggae, part ska, with a little bit of hip hop and they evoke feelings of Bob Marley, Sublime, the Gorillaz, No Doubt, and even some of The Streets for good measure. Unabashedly poppy and dangerously catchy, you'll feel happy after having listened to them for a little while. It's great coding music, driving music, or just general i-feel-like-shit-and-need-a-pick-me-up music. If you're looking for particular tracks to check out, I recommend "Two Shoes", "Hello Hello", and "One Four Five" but I've yet to discover a bad track from them. Check 'em out!
