Catatonia

The album that shot Catatonia into the spotlight in the late 90's, 'International Velvet' contained their two radio hits "I Am the Mob" and "Mulder & Scully", as well as other strong tracks "Road Rage", "Goldfish & Paracetamol" and "Don't Need the Sunshine". This album definately grows on you and takes a few listens for most of the songs to shine, one of the few albums I can play all the way through, every time.

I am a big fan of Catatonia and this album is the reason. The first song I ever heard from Catatonia was Mulder & Scully from this record. The album is great from start to finish with great songs like "Road Rage", "Don't Need The Sunshine" and "Strange Glue". The singer, Cerys Matthews, has a very unique and sexy voice and the lyrics are skilfully written! It's one of the best albums ever made, buy it!

i was 9 when i bought this album and it was my first album. I bought it as i loved road rage. As i got older i appreciated the album more and realised how good it is. road rage and mulder & scully where, and are, my favourites. The lyrics in road rage are really good but its the way she sings it makes it impossible to cover as it is truly HER song. The album was the best thing i bought and despite fading out Catatonia still remain one of my favourite bands. I also had a huge crush on Cerys Matthews and she was sort of my first idol. This album is definately worth getting and this is coming from a rap music fan with Wu-tang clan and 50 cent surrounding International Velvet!

What do you think of when you think of Wales? Princess Diana? Sheep, lots and lots of sheep? Well those may be representative of Wales but after listening to this cd Catatonia won't be far from thought when you think of Wales. Cerys' voice is addictive and her lyrics are thought provoking and humorous ( I am the mob is a great example of this..) All and all this is a great cd and any one who calls themself a "brit pop" fan should own this cd no questions asked.

Cerys Matthews has an amazing voice.

Is it clear as a bell? Sometimes.
Is it growly as gravel? Sometimes.
Is it girlish as a nursery rhyme? Sometimes

Is it strong as steel? Always.
Is it sexy? Invariably.

I consider this a slightly less mature effort than "Dead from..down" but this is a notable warming up thereto. I very much enjoyed the singles "Mulder and Scully", "Road Rage", and "Game On." It's good britPop.

Un gran album altamente recomendable, desde la fantastica interpretacion de Cerys, hasta la gran variedad de estilos que repersenta, catatonia podria estar en la cuerda floja entre los Cardigans y Bjork...
Sin dudas su disco final es su obra mayor, lamentablemete catatonia ya no existe, y lamentablemete ya no hay mas discos magicos como este...

I have all Catatonia records, and I have to say this is more mature and sophisticated than the others. Cerys never sounded better. Such a pity they disbanded. But I am ready for Cerys' solo career - she's got such a unique voice and personality, and now that she's married and healthy again, I'm sure we will hear more great stuff from her.

Paper Scissors Stone is the most amazing album I have ever listened to. The mix of exceptionally powerful tracks with more rocky influences goes to make a truly exceptional and utterly brilliant collection of fantastic tunes. I don't think there is a single song to complain about on that album.

Post-Brit-pop band Catatonia's return to the music industry after 18 months isn't what we'd call a welcome one. Their latest CD `Papers Scissors Stone' seems very reminiscent of solo [another singer] work..., but [other singer] always seemed best when he was performing in a duet with someone, or with [other band]... The album, however was extremely liked by the British public, especially by that of Prince Charles, so how can we not like Charles' favourite band?...As for the actual CD, there are some pleasant tracks, along with some hideous ones. The single "Stone by Stone" stands out as the best on the album, with an addictive chorus line and eerie backing vocals combined with superb percussion by Pablo. But then again, the turbulent and bothersome "Mother of Misogyny" will most likely give you a migraine with its repetitive vocals and overtly psychedelic guitar. It does lead onto the excellent "Is Everybody Here on Drugs?" which starts off with a very leisurely guitar riff and heads into classic Catatonia: gloomy, depressing but at the same time inspiring. Both "Immediate Circle" and "Blues Song" seem to try and recreate this, but come off as extremely dark and angry, something never heard in Catatonia, and something that's best left never heard. In the end, `Paper Scissors Stone' has a small number of worthy songs included, but most are annoyingly monotonous. Only for the die-hard Catatonia fans.

What a great album!! Too bad they broke up. This album was probably their best, and showed what a great band they were. I think if they didn't split, there would've been many more great albums from them. The whole album showcased the witty lyric writting, and the wide range of pop-rock Catatonia are capable of. Godspeed and Stone By Stone were pretty dramatic. Cerys' voice was great singing this kind of dramatic songs. Immediate Circle and Is Everybody Here On Drugs were the fun pop-rock songs that will make you sing along with them. Shore Leave just gave me the lonely feeling after traveling from places to places. Get this CD, it'll make you laugh and make you cry.

After watching Catatonia perform "Bleed" on Jools Holland's Cool Brittania DVD I purchased "Way Beyond Blue". Unfortunately "Bleed" is heads and shoulders above the other tracks, most of which are forgettable. Cerys' vocals are double-tracked to an annoying extreme and the melodies are dreary. To my fellow Americans who have never heard of Catatonia here's the best way to describe them: rank order Blur's songs, take the bottom third, and replace Damon with Cerys. That about sums it up.

Two years before Catatonia exploded in popularity, this debut album was released. The style is similar to their next two albums, if a little more intricate here. It doesn't show the all-round quality of 'International Velvet' (and Cerys somehow doesn't sound quite as Welsh here as she's sounded on their recent stuff!) but this CD does have some gems.

'You've got a lot to answer for', 'Sweet catatonia' and 'Way beyond blue' are the highlights of early Catatonia. 'You've got a lot...' is the best, as we witness Cerys at her most humorous as she sings us through the scenario of a possible pregnancy: 'My DNA'll be past it's sell-by date...'. Sweet - check this album out.

Welsh music is cool - inconceivable some years ago when the coolest it got was Tom Jones sliding ice cubes over his chest but now, the valleys are hip..and Catatonia are at the forefront... This is near perfect pop music - as beautiful and as flawed as icicles. Twelve short sweet sharp moments of aural pleasure (plus Gyda Gwen) that together form one of the most impressive debut releases since God knows when...From the plaintive Lost Cat to the heart pull of Painful to the melting Calippo sweetness of the title track to the terrace pleasing chants of Sweet Catatonia - Way Beyond Blue shines with all the coruscating splendour of sunshine on frozen glass.

Cerys' voice pulls and tugs at your hearing like a demanding child at your coat tails. This music simply has to be paid attention to..so many flavours, so many delicious melodies. For Tinkerbell is a perfect example..spiky guitars embracing flying vocal lines, springing out like a Jack-in-the-Box..always colourful but never garish. Way Beyond Blue - soaring and singing like morning birdsong on a Welsh mountain side

I often wonder why terrific British bands such as Catatonia never reach the United States. Is it due to bad promotional techniques or the lack there of? Then I wonder why such bland, nondescript music coming out of the American market is successful, i.e Googoo Dolls,Machbox 20, Fastball etc. What happened to melody? I wish I knew.

Living in Britain, I came across Catatonia, a Welsh band, who's female lead singer posesses a childish, yet coarse voice which make her vocals bittersweet and unique. The compositions are second to none. The opening track of "Way Beyond Blue" is "Lost Cat"; a charming pop song which contains some of the best harmonies I've heard since the Beatles. This album is pop-rock at its finest and is full of a balance of raw-edged tunes with lush melodies and harmony with great ballads as well: there's something exciting about this music. Its too bad that most American music fans are oblivious to such a wonderful group as Catatonia.

This cd should be one of the 10 albums of this decade-it is so beautiful and touching. it worths every cent and I really recommend it to anyone on earth...Cerys will make you cry.

I can't say i ever thought of visiting Wales until I heard Catatonia.

It's interesting because a good many of the songs are sung in Welsh and it's a very intersting mix.

There are a few singles on here in English, but I would say that while this is a necessity for the person who's very interested in the evolution and history of Catatonia, a new fan would be better served with International Velvet or "Dead.."

The Crai EP's shows just how wonderful Catatonia was even then. The album is full of fantastic songs. There's the somewhat eerie "Dimbran" which is sung in the lovely Welsh language as is "Gyda Gwen", which sounds more faniful but upon hearing the english translation "New Mercurial Height", seems full of sad whimsy. "Fall Beside Her" is just plain original. If you're a fan, buy this now!

Catatonia, fronted by the delightful cerys Matthews are fantastic ambassdors for their country and their music reaches into the soul.

Only by listening to Equally cursed and blessed can you fully enjoy and appreciate what I am trying to convey here.

Just buy it!

catatonia is wonderful and cerys has the most awesome voice(althoguh others seem to think her voice is annoying). This is anawesome album. I just banged my head on the wll for hours when my sister's friend told me it was coming out domestic. i don't know when it will come out domestic but it will. i cannot list my personal favourites because my favourite changed about every 5 times i listened to it. my first fave was londinium. then it went over to karaoke queen. then it went to valerian. and it goes everywhere from that. all tracks are excellent. although i really can't say the same for international velvet. international velvet was equally good because of road rage but not all tracks are were extroirdinary. i suggest you buy it and see for yourself. it's great!

This CD has just about every type of genre included with it, whether it be jazz, soft rock, or alternative. All of the lyrics are intelligently written, but to completly understand the entire album, you should have a knowledge of British English. I could see tracks like "Londinium", "She's A Millionaire", and "Karaoke Queen" making an impact on American charts.

After buying 'International Velvet' just over a year previous, I was looking forward to this one. 'Dead from the Waist Down' is a good start and 'Londinuim' is an excellent track but unfortunatley the album goes completely downhill and results in a poor, confusing mess. Even the one real stand out track 'She's a Millionaire' has flaws. The lyrics are ill chosen and it is evident the the album was written to a tight deadline. Die hard fans of Catatonia will like it but I feel that anyone who bought 'Inter...' on its critical merits may be disappointed, very! Be warned.

Once again the Brits have us beat with their taste in music. This album is brilliant yet you can't even get it here without buying it on import. If your tired of listening to the same American rehash we've been hearing ever since "Nevermind" give this a try. You won't regret it

Let's state the obvious. Cerys Matthews is a total babe. See cover.

OK but can she sing?

Well, yes, but sometimes she doesn't. Sometimes she does. She's a bit like Bjork this way. I'm not sure it's singing and I'm not sure it's good, but I sure as hell like it.

The song opens with "dead from the waist down" a lounge-act song about the nihilism of our consumer age. It's so lovely it's the kind of beautiful music that goes with a horrible disaster.

But the indictment doesn't stop there, Cery's interesting voice indicts London for the cesspool it is (interesting as a comparison point in Tool's AEnima). Cursing the 'black cabs' in 'the neon disease' you can feel the Welsh angst about Londinium.

Tracks 3 and 4 mark a waning in my interest, a complaint about using the church to fix mental problems and something about rich chicks. However, the writers of the catatonia lyrics have a gift for clever lyrics so these are even fairly interesting (D.I.Y gynecology?).

Storm the palace again attacks the monarchy. Rinse. Repeat.

We return to the melodic dissociation of track one with bulemic beats and valerian. valerian is great -- it has this great craggy oceanside vista on the english coast feel about it. I love these two tracks. 'Nothing Hurts' a little later falls into this same genre.

Shoot the messenger isn't al that great.

But then comes dazed beautiful and bruised. god what a song and Cerys totaly belts it out. She's putting her all into this song. Something about being a survivor and being beautiful for it. This is the song for everyone who wants someone out there and is not willing to settle. Man that's totally inspiring.

Now on my CD I also got Road Rage and Mulder & Scully which were released on the 97 "International Velvet" record. They're pooppy and accessible tunes -- and mighty fine at that.

With the demise of Catatonia this year, I believe this record (or IV) will stand as their crowninng achievement.

Catatonia is a great band and Equally Blessed and Cursed is in my opinion their greatest album to date. Cerys Matthews has such an incredibly unique voice. Best tracks on this cd are "Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised," the catchy sing-a-long song "Road Rage" and my favorite, the sultry "Shoot the Messenger". Over all the album is just better than average but I still recommend it.

Most people first heard of Catatonia when they released previous album 'International Velvet'. This, their third album and follow-up to their breakthrough album was anticipated heavily. In many ways this is a more accomplised album, with witty lyrics and a variety of style.

It begins with the single 'Dead From The Waist Down', a rare smoothly seductive tune sung by the ever-gorgeous vocals of Cerys Matthews. This is followed by a little swipe at city life in 'Londinium', with nice little details thrown in such as the M25. In fact, the general feel of several songs on the album seems to be an affectionate, lighthearted swipe at everything varying from the monarchy (the infectious 'Storm The Palace') to millionairesses ('She's A Millionaire'). In this it can often raise a smile, yet it is also an album that is quite capable of a softer undertone. This is particularly evident on the slow number, backed by harps, 'Bulimic Beats'. In many ways its in a similar style to 'Don't Need The Sunshine' from 'International Velvet' or 'Godspeed' from 'Papers, Scissors, Stone', but is definitely a surprise from a band normally famed for its loud and enjoyable vocals.

There's not one filler track here and although it's perhaps not as good as Catatonia's other albums, this is merely because the others are all so excellent. 'Equally Cursed And Blessed' is a real gem.

Stand out tracks are Londinium, Equally Cursed And Blessed, and Mulder And Scully, the strengths of Catatonia are manifold. The lyricsl quality is not only high, it's different, so in the above three examples, we have songs about city life, Princess Diana, and peculiar stuff happening, which make a nice change from love songs. The best thing about this group however has to be the melodies, which are always strong, bear repeated listening, and maintain the quality throughout the album. The vocal oddities of Cerys Matthews just make it that bit more interesting.

Cerys Matthews has one of the most distintive voices that i have ever heard. Equally Cursed and Blessed is Catatonias third studio album and their most accomplised to date. Containing the Uk hit singles, Road Rage, Dead From The Waist Down, Mulder And Scully, Londinium and Karaoke queen its easy to see why Catatonia has amased a huge fan base in such a small time. Lets hope that on the next album Cerys can keep up the good work and write good songs as singable as Road Rage