Cats In Space: Kickstart The Sun

The whole ethos behind Kickstart The Sun is to “‘turn the lights back on’ and bring some positivity and joyousness…� and if any band was perfect for that job, it’s Cats In Space. Kickstart… is the band’s fifth studio album and their second with the vocal find of the century, Damien Edwards, who if anything, is even more imperious behind the mic now that his feet are firmly under the table.

If you’re new to the Cats, well firstly, come on, you’ve missed some stupidly good music already, and secondly, welcome to simply the best band that have emerged over the last ten (maybe twenty?) years. The recipe should be simple, but oh so many acts who have tried to follow it have served up a main meal that’s nowhere near as tasty as what you’ll sit down to here - take the best, most fun, most intriguing, most nuanced sounds from the seventies rock, pop, prog and pomp worlds and fold them expertly into songs that are bold, brash, memorable and utterly revitalising.

The band’s songwriters in chief are guitarist/producer Greg Hart drummer Steevi Bacon and singer Damien Edwards, with the trio seemingly having a never ending supply of hook laden choruses, stinging guitar melodies and clever little asides that are all brought together to form albums with real depth and the ability to hit hard right from the off, while only becoming ever more exciting the longer you spend with them. It helps of course that the rest of the band, Dean Howard (guitars), Jeff Brown (bass/vocals) and Andy Stewart (keys) are right at the top of their game as they mesh perfectly on each and every track, and hence, with another set of cracking songs and a stunning vocalist, what could possibly go wrong…?

Well, put quite simply, absolutely bloody well nothing! Kickstart The Sun may just have knocked Scarecrow off my own personal top spot of Cats In Space albums - and with that little beauty already being handed a 5 star review by yours truly here on SoT, we all know where this is heading. However, it’s important to understand why, because if the songs weren’t brilliant, the pacing and sequencing not absolutely perfect and the overall effect unquestionably uplifting, then a perfect score wouldn’t even be under consideration. But right from the layered vocals of the album’s short opening title-track, it’s impossible not to be bowled over by what you encounter. “King Of Stars� is big and bold - deep horn blasts heralding in a song that has the confidence to play staccato stabs of piano off striking power-chords and a driving but groove laden beat. “Poke The Witch�, which was a preview single announcing the album’s imminent arrival, somehow raises the groove stakes even higher, Edwards illustrating his rich syrupy tones but also how he can turn on a sixpence and show an imperious dominance with his vocal display.

There are fifteen songs in total, so for your own sanity, I’m not going to describe them all, but “Teenage Millionaire� hits hard in all the right ways as vocal harmonies are embellished by tumbling beats, a blazing guitar solo and hooks so sharp they’ll slice you in two at the merest glance. Starting off as an almost Styx/DeYoung like ballad, “Goodbye American Dream� suddenly bursts proud and bright into a confident strut that earns every bit of the self assured confidence it thrives on. Whereas “1,000,000 Miles� is happy and able to remain in tear jerking ballad territory without ever slipping into self indulgence. “Smoke And Mirrors� then takes an ELO meets City Boy base and wraps you right round its little finger, glorious gang-vocals the perfect off set for a deceptively laid back intention - oh and the guitar line that runs through it all is utterly killer. And those are flavours explored further on “Last Dance Saloon�, which is possibly the most blatantly string-laden ELO this band have ever sounded - glorious! While the eight minute-plus “Bootleg Bandoleros� scoops up handfuls of Styx, Magnum and more to become a pomp-prog masterpiece that’s still a sing along to end all sing alongs!

And there’s more! But you’re getting the picture. At the risk of repeating myself, Cats In Space are, for my money, the best band to emerge since the turn of the millennium. That’s not a claim I’d ever make lightly, but especially not now, seeing as that period of time encompasses an immense 22 years.

With Kickstart The Sun, which once again comes wrapped in a simply stunning sleeve, courtesy of the ever-impressive Andy Kitson, Cats In Space have outdone themselves.

Track Listing

1. Kickstart The Sun - Intro
2. King Of Stars
3. Poke The Witch
4. Teenage Millionaires
5. Goodbye To The American Dream
6. 1,000,000 Miles
7. Fifty-One Pillow Bed
8. Charlie’s Ego
9. Kickstart The Sun
10. A Big Balloon
11. Smoke & Mirrors
12. Hero
13. Last Dance Saloon
14. Bootleg Bandoleros
15. Kickstart The Sun - reprise

Added: August 15th 2022
Reviewer: Steven Reid
Score:
Related Link: Cats In Space webstore
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Language: english

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