friday five - 03.10.08 - cats

Cats are great. When they aren't waking you up in the morning by sticking their butts in your face, howling to go back outside when they just came in thirty seconds earlier, or ignoring you completely, cats definitely compete for the title of "man's best friend." (If said title showcased the ups and downs of an actual friendship, they'd have it nailed.) That's why I've chosen to dedicate this week's Friday Five to them. That, and maybe if my own cat psychically realises that I'm paying him exorbitant amounts of attention via the Internet, he'll stop threatening to pee in my closet.



Death Cab for Cutie - "Flustered/Hey Tomcat!" (mp3|2.73MB): Early Death Cab makes a happy me. Don't worry about the grammatical accuracy of that sentence; hell, this track's so heavily mixed that you can barely tell the band's using English at all. The intent behind this song is so convoluted and unable to be grasped that I'm not even going to attempt a coherent analysis. And I love it. In fact, to my knowledge, this song isn't even about cats. But this is my blog, and I'll freak out if I want.

Elastica - "Pussycat" (mp3|3.73MB): The post-punk scene in 1999 had slippery reigns, and some gems slipped between the floorboards when "modern alternative rock" began to prowl on its territory. Nonetheless, Elastica's EP Stutter/Pussycat remains - at least in my mind - one of the most sincere attempts at a true revival of the art. Not that other bands haven't tried in recent years - it just doesn't seem genuine when politics are involved. (Insert appropriate Pretenders/I Can Has Cheezburger joke where applicable, because although I'm vegetarian, I'm also a horrible person. And that trumps all other psychological traits.)

Pro Audio - "And Then I Was a Cat" (mp3|7.14MB): Pro Audio, you are my heroes and my life. Nothing says awkward unrequited love like a geek jumping into the metaphorical body of a creature who has no capacity for human language whatsoever. I try to ask a question / But I can't form the speech / So I'm batting at your shoelace / And clawing up your indie rock magazines. Seriously? Dinner? At eight? Sounds awesome. See you there, catboy.

Starlight Mints - "Black Cat" (mp3|4.71MB): Even if this song were about something completely unrelated, it would still have that hep cat swing. (Yes, I said "hep." Sometimes I just can't hep myself. -- Hey, what're you doing with that mallet?) As it is, rather than pursuing the Black Widow persona of olde, the Starlight Mints reveal the existence of a "Black Cat" and a "Black Cat Detector," the likes of which I'm still trying to figure out. Is it the girl who's the detector or the girl who creates the need for a detector? Is she the black cat or is she trying to protect him from himself? I don't know. But it's catchy. Yay for strings!

Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut" (mp3||3.00MB): How could I not? You all know this song already. I don't care. It's so difficult to be a casanova. Right? I had the fortune of seeing the Stray Cats in concert, and my God, they still "got Cat class." Brian Setzer, I don't care how many times your name has been in lights. I don't care if I have to sacrifice my subscription to Under the Radar for this to happen, but please let me buy you a gin martini (is there any other kind?) and we can talk about how wonderful you are.


BONUS: Because I suck and forgot to post the Midweek Madness on Wednesday, you get another song. So, basically, it's still - with technicalities - the Friday Five, but you can pretend this song is completely unrelated and exists in a separate entry. Or, like, don't. Fine. I see how you are.

Lebo M. - "Circle of Life" (mp3|4.56MB): Yeah, I like this version better. Sue me. And hey. A lion is a cat. The Lion King was a cute movie! It - it totally works.<sup>1



1</sup> I. Am such. A nerd.


As always, send lovemail/hatemail/anymail related to the Friday Five to fridayfiveradio@gmail.com. Requests are always considered and welcomed. See you next week!