BlackpoolLights
04/07/11, 06:17 PM
The full playlist with YouTube streams is up here (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/04/playlist-10-songs-kitty-style.html).
1. Lady GaGa - "Shake Ur Kitty (http://www.4shared.com/audio/yEYYJ-lM/Lady_GaGa_-_Shake_Your_Kitty.html)" (2008) MP3
A B-side from one of the world's most popular performing artists, "Shake Ur Kitty" sounds more like a decent Pink song than Lady GaGa, but her sexy meows at the end are enough to make me believe she's attractive again...
2. Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fstray-cats-greatest-hits%2Fid16019036)" (1981)
Speaking of meows, rockabilly stars Stray Cats are a double whammy: cats in the name, cats in the song! The bassline to this '80s hit struts its stuff around the room nearly as proudly as a cat can.
3. The Cure - "The Lovecats (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fthe-cure-greatest-hits%2Fid269730983)" (1983)
More hissing and meowing, this time from the Gothic new-wavers, on one of their most peppy tunes. Considering that "The Cure" is almost synonymous with depression, adult angst, and tons of eyeliner, a song with a funky beat and lyrics that border on silly is quite the standout.
4. Awesome New Republic - "Alleycat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fhearts%2Fid33261 6518)" (2009) MP3
Download the MP3 here (http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2009/09/19/awesome-new-republic-release-hearts-free-alleycat-mp3/).
Unfortunately, I could not find a stream of this song, but you should go download the free and legal MP3 from the site listed above. Awesome New Republic (ANR) are Miami-based indie pop band with an impeccable sense for dance beats. The entire album Hearts is pretty damn good -- check it out on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fawesome-new-republic%2Fid89151068).
5. Hot Chip - "Alley Cats (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fone-life-stand%2Fid388071921)" (2010)
I can't hype Hot Chip's album One Life Stand (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fone-life-stand%2Fid388071921) enough -- so just go read the damn review already (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/03/hot-chip-one-life-stand-2010.html). We gave it a 4.6, although it's very possible you might like the laid-back British dance-pop even more. "Alley Cats" is one of the album's most gentile tracks, boasting soaring falsetto melodies and lyrics about speaking "in tongues like alley cats."
6. Harry Chapin - "Cat's In The Cradle (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcats-in-cradle-vacancy-digital%2Fid326623891)" (1974)
Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin wrote this famous '70s hit for his father, and it has absolutely nothing to do with cats, but it's a beautiful, stirring song. Chapin shows off his songwriting skills to their greatest extent with this personal piece. And since we're so serious all of a sudden...
7. Guster - "Carol Of The Meows (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcarol-of-the-meows-single%2Fid30363516)" (2004)
This is exactly what it sounds like: an a capella rendition of "Carol Of The Bells" done all with the members of Guster meowing. And it is also exactly as hilarious and amazing as you'd expect a one-and-a-half minute meowfest to be.
8. Elton John - "Honky Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Felton-john-greatest-hits%2Fid3451744)" (1972)
Not all cats are cats. Some are people -- very, very cool people. So cool that they can be called "honky (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=honky)." Although it was originally a racist term for white people...ah, whatever.
9. Say Anything - "Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fis-a-real-boy%2Fid258954452)" (2004)
Max Bemis' sarcastic, convictive vocals sculpt this indescribably odd surrealist story by scene rockers Say Anything. It certainly belongs on this playlist:
"I watch my yellow cat invade my red cat in the yard.
The feline war has raged for years, so I assume it'd be too hard
For me to drive my foot between them; I would never risk the scratch
Just to prove to one or both of them -- a cat is just a cat."
10. Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcat-scratch-fever%2Fid157436685)" (1977)
While Nugent is in all likelihood one of the craziest motherfuckers ever to play rock music -- and one of the only conservatives ever to play it well -- this song reeks as strongly of drugs as Jimi Hendrix (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fjimi-hendrix%2Fid62852) songs from a decade earlier. Nugent may have never admitted much of his use, but what else could inspire such a song?
11. Sonic Youth - "Purr (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdirty-deluxe-edition-remastered%2Fid1293856)" (1992)
From the iconic alternative rockers' seventh album, Dirty (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdirty-deluxe-edition-remastered%2Fid1293856), "Purr" is a standout among Sonic Youth's early-'90s material, and throbs with distortion even as Thurston Moore wails "a puss in leather, yeah a prince in gold."
12. Mayday Parade - "Black Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fa-lesson-in-romantics%2Fid258903109)" (2007)
Featuring lyrics that refer to making a film as much as they do arson, this is a pop-punk standout from the bordering-on-emo band's debut album, A Lesson In Romantics (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2009/06/mayday-parade-lesson-in-romantics-2007.html). Watch out for that bad luck!
13. Foxy Shazam - "Dog In Love With Kitty (http://www.shockhound.com/albums/602324-foxy-shazam-mp3s-dog-in-love-with-kitty--shockhound-exclusive-)" (2010)
This track is a bonus track from the pop-punk band Foxy Shazam's ultra-fun 2010 self-titled release (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/03/foxy-shazam-foxy-shazam-2010.html). While the songwriting doesn't hold a candle to most of the album's other Queen (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fqueen%2Fid32962 87)-inspired tracks, it is a rather rare song that is not even available on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Ffoxy-shazam-deluxe-version%2Fid365630596), so many fans haven't heard it. You can, however, buy the song over at Shockhound.com (http://www.shockhound.com/albums/602324-foxy-shazam-mp3s-dog-in-love-with-kitty--shockhound-exclusive-). Many of us cat lovers would spurn every dog who tried to hump us, however...
14. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - "Cat And Mouse (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdont-you-fake-it%2Fid162561544)" (2006)
The screamo band (I hesitate to call this "post-hardcore" like some would) tunes it down a notch on "Cat And Mouse," a ballad and fan favorite from their debut Don't You Fake It. Featuring angsty lyrics like "Am I supposed to be happy? When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price," the track is powerful, yet slightly overdone.
15. The Format - "Does Your Cat Have A Moustache?! (http://www.amazon.com/Does-Your-Cat-Have-Mustache/dp/B000XKOVFC)" (2007)
The indie pop group The Format is known for their non sequitur lyrics and blithe musical moments, and this rare B-side is no exception. "Does your cat have a moustache/ Does it remind you of me?" Nate Ruess sings, sounding like he's about to burst out laughing at any moment. Don't miss the double-time 10-second bridge slightly before the 2-minute mark. They really should've released this on an album.
Now go spend some time with some real cats!
1. Lady GaGa - "Shake Ur Kitty (http://www.4shared.com/audio/yEYYJ-lM/Lady_GaGa_-_Shake_Your_Kitty.html)" (2008) MP3
A B-side from one of the world's most popular performing artists, "Shake Ur Kitty" sounds more like a decent Pink song than Lady GaGa, but her sexy meows at the end are enough to make me believe she's attractive again...
2. Stray Cats - "Stray Cat Strut (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fstray-cats-greatest-hits%2Fid16019036)" (1981)
Speaking of meows, rockabilly stars Stray Cats are a double whammy: cats in the name, cats in the song! The bassline to this '80s hit struts its stuff around the room nearly as proudly as a cat can.
3. The Cure - "The Lovecats (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fthe-cure-greatest-hits%2Fid269730983)" (1983)
More hissing and meowing, this time from the Gothic new-wavers, on one of their most peppy tunes. Considering that "The Cure" is almost synonymous with depression, adult angst, and tons of eyeliner, a song with a funky beat and lyrics that border on silly is quite the standout.
4. Awesome New Republic - "Alleycat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fhearts%2Fid33261 6518)" (2009) MP3
Download the MP3 here (http://bandweblogs.com/blog/2009/09/19/awesome-new-republic-release-hearts-free-alleycat-mp3/).
Unfortunately, I could not find a stream of this song, but you should go download the free and legal MP3 from the site listed above. Awesome New Republic (ANR) are Miami-based indie pop band with an impeccable sense for dance beats. The entire album Hearts is pretty damn good -- check it out on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fawesome-new-republic%2Fid89151068).
5. Hot Chip - "Alley Cats (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fone-life-stand%2Fid388071921)" (2010)
I can't hype Hot Chip's album One Life Stand (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fone-life-stand%2Fid388071921) enough -- so just go read the damn review already (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/03/hot-chip-one-life-stand-2010.html). We gave it a 4.6, although it's very possible you might like the laid-back British dance-pop even more. "Alley Cats" is one of the album's most gentile tracks, boasting soaring falsetto melodies and lyrics about speaking "in tongues like alley cats."
6. Harry Chapin - "Cat's In The Cradle (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcats-in-cradle-vacancy-digital%2Fid326623891)" (1974)
Singer-songwriter Harry Chapin wrote this famous '70s hit for his father, and it has absolutely nothing to do with cats, but it's a beautiful, stirring song. Chapin shows off his songwriting skills to their greatest extent with this personal piece. And since we're so serious all of a sudden...
7. Guster - "Carol Of The Meows (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcarol-of-the-meows-single%2Fid30363516)" (2004)
This is exactly what it sounds like: an a capella rendition of "Carol Of The Bells" done all with the members of Guster meowing. And it is also exactly as hilarious and amazing as you'd expect a one-and-a-half minute meowfest to be.
8. Elton John - "Honky Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Felton-john-greatest-hits%2Fid3451744)" (1972)
Not all cats are cats. Some are people -- very, very cool people. So cool that they can be called "honky (http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=honky)." Although it was originally a racist term for white people...ah, whatever.
9. Say Anything - "Yellow Cat (Slash) Red Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fis-a-real-boy%2Fid258954452)" (2004)
Max Bemis' sarcastic, convictive vocals sculpt this indescribably odd surrealist story by scene rockers Say Anything. It certainly belongs on this playlist:
"I watch my yellow cat invade my red cat in the yard.
The feline war has raged for years, so I assume it'd be too hard
For me to drive my foot between them; I would never risk the scratch
Just to prove to one or both of them -- a cat is just a cat."
10. Ted Nugent - "Cat Scratch Fever (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fcat-scratch-fever%2Fid157436685)" (1977)
While Nugent is in all likelihood one of the craziest motherfuckers ever to play rock music -- and one of the only conservatives ever to play it well -- this song reeks as strongly of drugs as Jimi Hendrix (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fjimi-hendrix%2Fid62852) songs from a decade earlier. Nugent may have never admitted much of his use, but what else could inspire such a song?
11. Sonic Youth - "Purr (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdirty-deluxe-edition-remastered%2Fid1293856)" (1992)
From the iconic alternative rockers' seventh album, Dirty (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdirty-deluxe-edition-remastered%2Fid1293856), "Purr" is a standout among Sonic Youth's early-'90s material, and throbs with distortion even as Thurston Moore wails "a puss in leather, yeah a prince in gold."
12. Mayday Parade - "Black Cat (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fa-lesson-in-romantics%2Fid258903109)" (2007)
Featuring lyrics that refer to making a film as much as they do arson, this is a pop-punk standout from the bordering-on-emo band's debut album, A Lesson In Romantics (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2009/06/mayday-parade-lesson-in-romantics-2007.html). Watch out for that bad luck!
13. Foxy Shazam - "Dog In Love With Kitty (http://www.shockhound.com/albums/602324-foxy-shazam-mp3s-dog-in-love-with-kitty--shockhound-exclusive-)" (2010)
This track is a bonus track from the pop-punk band Foxy Shazam's ultra-fun 2010 self-titled release (http://www.thetunemusic.com/2011/03/foxy-shazam-foxy-shazam-2010.html). While the songwriting doesn't hold a candle to most of the album's other Queen (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Fartist%2Fqueen%2Fid32962 87)-inspired tracks, it is a rather rare song that is not even available on iTunes (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Ffoxy-shazam-deluxe-version%2Fid365630596), so many fans haven't heard it. You can, however, buy the song over at Shockhound.com (http://www.shockhound.com/albums/602324-foxy-shazam-mp3s-dog-in-love-with-kitty--shockhound-exclusive-). Many of us cat lovers would spurn every dog who tried to hump us, however...
14. The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - "Cat And Mouse (http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=0eN5qmCmDnc&subid=0&offerid=146261.1&type=10&tmpid=5573&RD_PARM1=http%3A%2F%2Fitunes.apple. com%2Fus%2Falbum%2Fdont-you-fake-it%2Fid162561544)" (2006)
The screamo band (I hesitate to call this "post-hardcore" like some would) tunes it down a notch on "Cat And Mouse," a ballad and fan favorite from their debut Don't You Fake It. Featuring angsty lyrics like "Am I supposed to be happy? When all I ever wanted, it comes with a price," the track is powerful, yet slightly overdone.
15. The Format - "Does Your Cat Have A Moustache?! (http://www.amazon.com/Does-Your-Cat-Have-Mustache/dp/B000XKOVFC)" (2007)
The indie pop group The Format is known for their non sequitur lyrics and blithe musical moments, and this rare B-side is no exception. "Does your cat have a moustache/ Does it remind you of me?" Nate Ruess sings, sounding like he's about to burst out laughing at any moment. Don't miss the double-time 10-second bridge slightly before the 2-minute mark. They really should've released this on an album.
Now go spend some time with some real cats!