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Cats In Space: Daytrip To Narnia
Cats In Space - Daytrip To Narmia Music Review

Cats In Space: Daytrip To Narnia

AOR Melodic Rock
5.0/5.0

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Harmony Factory Records
Released: 01.03.2019
Words: Craig Hartranft
Added: 20.02.2019

Once more the galaxy flying felines aka Cats In Space are back to amaze you with their latest and third album, Daytrip To Narnia. The album comes on the heels of 2018's Cats Alive! which captured their original mouser musical theatrics. The album features the space fantasy, The Story Of Johnny Rocket, about a young boy, then young man, who wishes to travel to the stars, specifically the Great Cat constellation. (Of course). The tale involve adventure, conspiracy, tragedy and, yes, a girl, Johnny's first an only love, Twilight.

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Cats In Space

Musically, Daytrip To Narnia is typical Cats In Space. Yes, we can say that now. Cats In Space has a signature sound. Press and punters like to bandy about terms like vintage Seventies AOR pop rock to describe the Cats sound. Or extravagant, grand, and pompous. Well, yes. As you wish. Mostly, for me, they've been an ambitious band with an affinity for fine song craftsmanship where melody, harmony, groove, a catchy refrain, and a hook in lyrical mischief creates delightful and entertaining melodic rock. Within that framework, Cats has always developed compositions upon piano melodies, guitar harmony and thrilling leads, and lush vocal arrangements. And here you have it again, worked out in the Cats fine fashion. To the songs then ...

With Narnia and Hologram Man, you have more bullish AOR rock with deeper groove and dance beat. She Talks Too Much finds Cats In Space delivering more of their tongue-in-cheek sarcasm in an upbeat AOR wrapper. Tragic Alter Ego, with its Supertramp-like leading piano, pokes fun at all those Seventies references. But with Unicorn it doesn't get much closer to 1971, where the cymbals at the beginning sound like those from the Theme From Shaft (the movie). Mostly, the song is large and lavish pop melodic rock with a big chorus. The seven part The Story Of Johnny Rocket invokes all the Cats protocol. To mention a few parts, you'll find synths lead to heavier melodic rock in Johnny Rocket; a disco groove twists through Thunder In The Night, finishing with a terrific guitar solo; and Twilight offer melodic rock in a symphonic wrapper over a sweet groove. In the end, Daytrip To Narnia is simply and completely Cats In Space at their very best, entertaining you with their delightful and intriguing AOR melodic rock. Quite recommended.



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The Bottom Line

Daytrip To Narnia is simply and completely Cats In Space at their very best, entertaining you with their delightful and intriguing AOR melodic rock. Quite recommended.

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