Cities (The Cat Empire album)

Cities
Cities
Studio album by the Cat Empire
Released	1 April 2006
Recorded	2005–2006 at Sing Sing Studios, Richmond, Victoria
Genre	Soul; funk; jazz; rock; hip-hop;
Length	45:32
Label	EMI/Virgin
Producer	Felix Riebl; The Cat Empire;
The Cat Empire chronology

Cities is the third studio album by Australian band the Cat Empire, released on 1 April 2006 through Virgin Records. The album consists of music recorded for the band's performance at the 2006 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony the previous month.^[1] A limited release, 10,000 individually numbered copies have been made in digipak format. It was released less than a year after their previous album, Two Shoes.

At the 2006 Fine Arts Awards, the album won an ARIA Music Award under the category Best World Music Album.^[2]

The album was recorded at Sing Sing Studios in Richmond, Melbourne, Australia.

Description

The band states the following about Cities on their website^[3] – "This project is somewhere in between a tribute to our own city and an experiment in sounds that we’ve found abroad. The approach to this record was far less precious than it was for our debut and Two Shoes. It was a kind of surprise record we almost didn’t expect to make. We wrote the material very quickly, and had an excellent and robust few weeks recording it. The record is in some ways serious and in some ways stupendous. There are ethnics, locals, sad songs, adventure songs, musical chorus’, screamers, and a collection of soul references. There are strings sections, Sitars, Tablas, horn sections, short punchy arrangements as well as some excellent solos. It is the kind of recording in which people might get to hear a different side of the Cat Empire, but it's still soulful, strange, humorous, whimsical, sometimes sad, sometimes delirious, mis-placed and undoubtedly Catempiracle as well."

Track listing

All tracks are written by Felix Riebl,^[4] unless otherwise indicated

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Cities"	Felix Riebl Harry Angus	3:23
2.	"Boogaloo"	Riebl Ross Irwin	3:30
3.	"Siente"	Riebl Ollie McGill	2:43
4.	"Motion"		3:43
5.	"Song for the Day"	Riebl McGill	3:47
6.	"Know Your Name"		3:21
7.	"Song for Elias"		4:32
8.	"Jungle"	Angus	2:12
9.	"Down at the 303"	Angus	2:40
10.	"Side to Side"		3:53
11.	"Waltz"		4:24
12.	"Luck Song"	Riebl McGill	3:30
13.	"Anymore"		3:52
Total length:			45:32

iTunes Bonus Track
No.	Title	Length
1.	"Miss Soul"	4:37
Total length:		4:37

Personnel

The Cat Empire core members

Harry James Angus – vocals, trumpet, backing vocals
Will Hull-Brown – drums
Jamshid Khadiwhala – turntables, tambourine
Ollie McGill – piano, keyboard, Hammond organ, melodica, backing vocals
Ryan Monro – double bass, bass guitar, backing vocals
Felix Riebl – lead vocals, percussion, backing vocals

The Empire Horns (auxiliary members)

Ross Irwin – trumpet, flugelhorn, backing vocals
Kieran Conrau – trombone, backing vocals
Carlo Barbaro – tenor saxophone, baritone saxophone, flute

Additional musicians

violin – Alyssa Conrau
cello – Kristy Conrau
guitar – Novak Conrad
tablas – Bobby Singh (tracks 1–2)
sitar – Kumar Shome (track 1)
tambourine – Greg Sheehan (track 11)
vocals – Julie O'Hara (tracks 4–5, 7, 10–12); Nina Ferro (tracks 4–5, 10–11)

Recording details

Produced by – Felix Riebl, The Cat Empire
Mixing – Adam Rhodes
Recording – Adam Rhodes
Arranged by – Ross Irwin, Ollie McGill (track 3)
Mastering – Ross Cockle
Assistant engineering – Russel Fawkus

Charts

Chart (2006)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)^[5]	11

References

^ Monro, Ryan. "The Cat Empire Project – Cities". ryanmonro.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2024.
^ "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2006: 20th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 13 June 2012.
^ "Cities". The Cat Empire. Retrieved 4 March 2022.
^ "How to Explain". APRA Works Search. Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 May 2015. Note: user may have to click on 'Search again' and add details e.g. at 'Enter a title:' How to Explain, or at 'Performer:' Cat Empire
^ "Australiancharts.com – The Cat Empire – Cities". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2021.

External links

[1] Monro, Ryan. "The Cat Empire Project – Cities". ryanmonro.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2020. Retrieved 23 February 2024.

[ARIA2006-2] "ARIA Awards – History: Winners by Year 2006: 20th Annual ARIA Awards". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 13 June 2012.

[3] "Cities". The Cat Empire. Retrieved 4 March 2022.

[APRA_How-4] "How to Explain". APRA Works Search. Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 May 2015. Note: user may have to click on 'Search again' and add details e.g. at 'Enter a title:' How to Explain, or at 'Performer:' Cat Empire

[ac_Australia_The_Cat_Empire-5] "Australiancharts.com – The Cat Empire – Cities". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2021.

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v t e The Cat Empire
Felix Riebl Ollie McGill Grace Barbé Daniel Farrugia Neda Rahmani Ryan Monro Harry James Angus Will Hull Brown Jamshid "DJ Jumps" Khadiwala
Studio albums	The Cat Empire Two Shoes Cities So Many Nights Cinema Steal the Light Rising with the Sun Stolen Diamonds Where the Angels Fall
Live albums	The Sun On the Attack Live on Earth
Singles	"Hello" "Days Like These" "The Chariot" "Sly" "The Car Song" "Two Shoes" "No Longer There" "So Many Nights"
Lists	Discography Songs
Related articles	Jackson Jackson The Conglomerate 2006 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony
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