And let’s keep kickin’ and stickin’ in Boston since the Beantown-based Ride the Snake label was awesome enough to send a big, juicy package of their goods. My fave seven inches out of the satchel were by local heroes The Black Clouds and Cuffs. The four songer by The Black Clouds sounds like the loser stomp of early Cheater Slicks with a little more choogle in its stride, while the Cuffs 45 makes me wanna reference the majesty of The Monochrome Set without wincing at all; quite a feat. Oh yeah, somewhere in the box was the second full length by Tasmania’s pride and joy, The Native Cats, entitled Process Praise, and it keeps the script going from their previous releases by sounding like nothing more than a lost minimal robot rock classic. Is your copy of Colossal Youth looking run down? Jam this and give it a rest, why dontcha?
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Built on a Weak Spot Reviews Native Cats!
Process Praise is the second album from the highly touted Tasmanian duo Native Cats out now on Ride the Snake. Their first album Always On was a fantastic and interesting channeling of what could be considered a merging of standard pop and stripped down bass centric post-punk. The first album had a noticeable bounce to it, certainly one that leaned heavier on the pop side of things and the sweet sound of Casiotone. With Process Praise the duo has lessened that vibe some, still working heavily with the lo-fi tones that are a vital part of what they are, but I don’t recall the bit of edge that the album brings to their sound. Not that there is an influx of added sounds here. There really can’t be unless they decide to abandon their approach altogether, and that certainly wouldn’t be a good thing. However, the lyrics by both Peter Escott and Julian Teakle take on a somewhat more spiteful tone or one that even comes off as confrontational at times. Process Praise as a whole seems like a colder/darker affair for the duo, reeling off stories of late night fumbling, social awkwardness, and annoyances. It would be a rather ideal record to listen to and make your way through a number of stiff drinks in the process. With that aside though, they’ve found a comfortable area to work within and it shows by how much they get out of these tracks with such a bare bones approach. I mean I guess that’s always been the case, but it becomes increasingly apparent on Process Praise that it’s been honed in to a near perfection. The way that they are able to build ever so slightly on the the bass lines provided by Teakle is a skill that absolutely can’t be ignored. Timing is surely a significant cog to their success and really has to be when constructing their songs. No matter, they keep it all rolling here…maybe under a different mindset…but it’s a rather nice change that doesn’t obstruct the big picture. Take a listen…
Still Single Reviews Process Praise
from Still Single, August 14, 2011:
For their second full-length outing, Tasmanian duo the Native Cats (vocalist Peter Escott, who also programs the drums and synths, and bassist Julian Teakle) have condensed the dramatic flair and Ludlum novel noir a bit, making for a moodier, more minimal and more consistent listen in an already-sterling catalogue. Many might argue that there’s not a whole lot of direction for a duo in their particular configuration, so it’s a welcome relief to hear people who are self-aware enough to know when they’ve stumbled on a working formula, and moreover, how to enhance it without losing the script. A lot of that resides on their approach; storyteller Escott’s contributions ensure that there will always be that script, and an entertainer to read it off. His fictions are the heart of this band, and the framing they’re given by his skeletal beats and Teakle’s booming lead melodies (no chords, no problem) are all that’s needed to paint his tales of danger and espionage. They’re just enough band to give the words a slightly sinister, theatrical feel; shaken-not-stirred, long-con coolness for the intellectuals and those who favor them. And when they do break rank, as on the noisome synth hammering that closes “Dani Dani,” it feels 40 stories tall. Very hard to classify or qualify, I’d happily point anyone who’s ever enjoyed Britpop, in particular the nighttime sounds of Pulp, to take a listen to The Native Cats and find themselves as lost and in awe of a modern band as I am. (Doug Mosurock)
Great write-up of Process Praise on The Thousands
from The Thousands, July 26, 2011:
This is the sound of being under winter’s house arrest. A timeless, paranoid throb and chant that is stark and minimal. The repetitive pulse of Julian Teakle’s bass and a drum machine that propels then sits in the background kicking stones just so you know it’s there. The unique voice of Peter Escott, a gentleman and a scholar. Earnest, sincere and polite with articulate poetic observations. Tasmanian brevity with pronunciation on point, each word shaped for the Australian ear. Not a shred of cynical apology. Not ashamed, guilty or afraid. Bold, and delighted in feeling bold.
I imagine Escott sharing his record with the library lurkers at school and they’d hear the sensitive smart young man who ate chico rolls every day and talked about the internet before anyone had heard of it. I wonder did he read Mad magazine? What science fiction did he prefer? The last person I thought this about was Gary Numan, a reference point for Escott’s stage presence. Playing with an autistic abandon in a densely packed pub and animated by the attention rather than wilting under it. Like listening to Big Star, Native Cats make you feel an ancient awareness tempered by blissful naivety. A stunning second album.