Catatonia

I remember listening to this band when I got my first tape deck and radio. Back then I was still wading through the intensity of the 90's trying to find some music that spoke to my feelings of not being able to deal with how some music was just shit. Then I found this radio station, which, as most radio stations do, played chart shows with the same stuff over and over... God, it annoys me now, but when you're growing up in an era when Grunge was king, who cares?!! Catatonia's Mulder and Scully and Road Rage, alongside Marcy Playground's Sex and Candy became my new favourite songs, and I never understood how their hot vocalist, Cerys Matthews, kept her voice so miserable sounding and yet, so cool. Next thing I knew, I was sitting in front of my radio with my fingers on both the record and play buttons.

Ah, youth.

A bunch of guys and a girl from Wales, Catatonia got together in 1992 in Cardiff. Their guitaring is great, thanks to Mark Roberts and Owen Powell; it's lazy but solidly structured, harsh in some places but bearably so, and the female angst is never a bad thing to witness. Unlike alternative punk bands with screaming banshees they try to pass off as vocalists, Catatonia's music is loose and dignified in itself. Lo-fi music has always been appealing to me, and this band has a definite, Sonic Youth-y, Pixies, Hole-ish, in-dad's-garage vibe which is definitely good, ladies and gents, with a British twist. Paul Jones gives a nice tone on the bass while Aled Richards works the percussives. On September 21st, 2001 they split, due to Matthews inability to cope with the pressure of fame, they say.

Pity.

Go check out Beautiful Loser and That's all Folks aswell, or do yourself favour and get hold of their Greatest Hits album. It's not called that for nothing...

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