Catatonia: Welsh Band Falls Flat With Equally Cursed and Blessed
Written: Apr 11 '02 (Updated Apr 11 '02)
Product Rating:
Pros: Ummm...decent songs (?)
Cons: Cerys Matthews (the vocalist)
The Bottom Line: Don't buy this album. Find something more constructive to do with your $15. Like buy a year's supply of bubble gum. Catatonia's vocalist, Cerys Matthews is repulsive.
lambchops's Full Review: Equally Cursed and Blessed * by Catatonia
It’s not often that a band’s vocalist annoys me. Catatonia’s lead voice, that specifically of Cerys Matthews, scrapes at my tender eardrums.
As one of the few decently well-known Welsh acts in music, it would have been nice if they were a bit easier to listen to. It’s not that Catatonia writes bad songs. No, no. The songs aren’t remarkably good or horrible. The deep seeded problem lies with Matthews and her nearly total lack of range and inflection. But, for some strange reason the band the band stayed together and kicked out a number of albums before parting ways as a direct result of exhaustion and stress.
Catatonia came into being in 1991 as a quintet with Matthews on vocals. Throughout the five releases during their decade together, the lineup changed a number of times and the only consistent contributors were Matthews and her long time collaborator Brad Roberts. The band first released two EP’s in the mid 1990’s with both For Tinkerbell and Hooked. In 1996, the Welsh band released their debut independent LP The Sublime Magic of Catatonia. It was pretty well ignored; likely at least in part a result of rough production elements.
The band then regrouped and released their major label debut Way Beyond Blue. With tinny pop guitars and pop sensibility, the album managed to grab a bit more time in the spotlight although certainly not enough to shoot them to superstardom. The album managed to squeak onto the charts as a result of a miniature hit by the name of You’ve Got A Lot To Answer For. Way Beyond Blue stalled at the number 40 position before completely exiting the public conscious
But Catatonia still didn’t give up. Oh no. 1998 brought the release of International Velvet, the first album to be released stateside. The album never really caught on and once again. It lacked the star quality and drive necessary to chart. Once again, Catatonia continued plugging away toward their ambitious dream.
2000’s Equally Cursed And Blessed was the first exposure I had to the band. I have my sister to thank--er, kick--for suggesting the album to me. The songs here are good, not great, but serviceable. If only Matthews had a voice to support them. Anyway, the album did manage a bit of exposure in the US on certain alternative and college stations, but aside from a passing fascination Catatonia is still relatively unknown.
Equally Cursed And Blessed is pop above all other things. It’s bubblegum and it’s sparkly. It’s supposed to be entertaining…I just can’t figure out why. Within the pop songs, the band speaks about various topics ranging from nothing to politics to anger to frustration. The lyrics are usually pretty catchy, but impossible to stomach the wavering, whiny vocals provided by Matthews.
I hate to sound so critical, but a band really does need more than just good songs. The intro track, Dead From The Waist Down has a truly catchy pop melody with light instrumentation and lovely vocals. Matthews just sounds so unsure and childish. Her voice clashes horribly with the soothing melody.
A bit more upbeat but nonetheless repulsive, Londinium once again proves impossible to get through without hitting skip. The track sounds hollow and under-produced and Matthews attempts in vain to rock out at times, yet just ends up sounding like a big joke.
The album continues to flop around aimlessly with Matthews effectively butchering Post Script with a pseudo-aggressive approach and occasionally breathy vocals. She grates at me. Once again, the song is decent and if anybody else had been providing vocals it would have been better. It could only be better.
Two of the most recognizable tracks from this album might just be She’s A Millionaire and Karaoke Queen. But that really doesn’t automatically mean that they are better tracks by any means. Seriously. She’s A Millionaire has a decent chorus, but each of the verses is increasingly aurally offensive. Matthews sounds like a pitiful excuse for a Bjork clone. Karaoke Queen is more of a modern disco track than anything else. But, it lacks any real direction and in the long run is painful on the ears.
I really am at a complete loss as to why this was recommended or how anybody could possibly find this to be a good example of music.
Both Bulimic Beats and Valerian are lovely songs if you subtract the vocals. They are tender and touching, but when Matthews pipes in the songs completely lose any appeal they once had. I could go on and talk about each track individually…but I won’t. I can’t say that I like any of them. All of the things I’ve already spoken about in regards to the above seven tracks apply to the remaining six. Even more repulsive are the final two tracks. Just what I needed…live versions tracks from earlier albums.
I do not recommend Equally Cursed And Blessed. I cannot possibly recommend a band where the vocalist is so painful to listen to. The songs are okay, and for that Catatonia as a whole gets an extra star. Overall, I must give this dismal album two stars. For the love of god, don’t buy this album. Buy anything else…even country (did I just say that?)
Track Listing:
1. Dead From The Waist Down
2. Londinium
3. Post Script
4. She’s A Millionaire
5. Storm the Palace
6. Karaoke Queen
7. Bulimic Beats
8. Valerian
9. Shoot the Messenger
10. Nothing Hurts
11. Dazed, Beautiful, and Bruised
12. Mulder and Scully (live in Newport)
13. Nothing Hurts (live)
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.