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THE REVIEW
Most of the tracks in this collection of outtakes and restorations seem to belong to the first two albums in the band's history. They resemble "Ferment" and "Chrome" in terms of sound, structure, and taste.
In keeping with the best traditions, among the dust and scraps, there's always something precious and inexplicably set aside, or worse, forgotten. There is definitely stuff here that is of no use, starting with the unnecessary cover of "Wish You Were Here," continuing with the sleepy "Car" or the boring "Saccharine": just playing guitars at the speed of sound at regular intervals isn't enough to make shoegaze, nor does singing with three hundred echoes help. Good shoegaze requires solid tunes to play and airy melodic lines, worthy of singing.
In the mix, there are again great shoegaze tracks for fans of the genre but not of absolute value, alternating with "best of" gems, starting with the intriguing "Mouthful Of Air," very sophisticated and understated. And yet mention for "Girl Stand Still" among carillon-like guitars, touches and arpeggios, echoes and plucking, darts and splashes. More than in "Ferment," "Backward Gitar" with its suitably intense refrains, would fit well within "Chrome." Instead, it is precisely in the style and quality of Dickinson and the band's masterpiece debut that "Tongue Twisted" belongs: a tormented track, relentless, with a thousand ups and downs.
Four stunning songs that leave you with a bitter taste, because they remind you of what Catherine Wheel could have continued to produce, had they decided not to assault the charts by changing (multiple times) their genre.
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Summary by Bot
Like Cats And Dogs compiles Catherine Wheel's outtakes mainly from their first two albums, Ferment and Chrome. The collection mixes standout shoegaze tracks with less compelling pieces. While some songs like "Mouthful Of Air" and "Tongue Twisted" showcase the band's signature style, others feel unnecessary or overused. The album leaves a bittersweet impression of what the band might have continued producing.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
02 Wish You Were Here (03:28)
So, so you think you can tell heaven from hell
Blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green feild from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil
Do you think you can tell?
Did they get you to trade your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze? Clod comfort for change?
And did you exchange a walk oon part in the war
For a lead role in a cage?
How I wish, how I wish you were here
We're just two lost souls
Swimming in a fish bowl, year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have we found? The same old fears
Wish you were here
I wish you were here (x 4)
04 Car (06:42)
If I touch you will you break?
If I touch you will you take my fears away?
And I can hear the moving mind
And I can hardly wait for you
I'll steal myself a car
I've been sitting her for years to find
A Ferrari or a Jaguar
Straight over the cliff and into the sea
And drive at a crazy speed
I've been sitting here for years to find
I can hardy wait for you
I can hear, the moving mind
I've been sitting her for years to find
Such bad thoughts
Ferrari or a Jaguar
And drive at a crazy speed
I'll steal myself a car
Straight over a cliff and into the sea
And if that was guaranteed
And maybe I'll be happy, maybe I'll be happy
I'd do it today, right now, just this once today
I've been sitting here for years for youI can hardly wait for you
Catherine Wheel
Catherine Wheel are a British alternative rock band formed in 1990 in England by Rob Dickinson, Brian Futter, Dave Hawes and Neil Sims. They released five studio albums between 1992 and 2000, emerging from the shoegaze scene with Ferment and Chrome before shifting toward heavier alt-rock on later records. The single Black Metallic became their signature track.07 Reviews
