Where The Angels Fall
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''Where the Angels Fall'' is the ninth
studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...
by Australian band
the Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
, released on 25 August 2023 through Two Shoes Records. It was co-produced by Felix Riebl, Ollie McGill, Ross Irwin, and Andy Baldwin, who had previously worked on their self-titled debut in 2003. Recording took place from October to November 2022 at the Merri-bek City Band Room, a community music space in
Brunswick, Victoria Brunswick is an inner-city suburb in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia, north of Melbourne's Melbourne city centre, Central Business District, located within the City of Merri-bek Local government areas of Victoria, local go ...
. It is the first album released by the band following the departure of original members Ryan Monro, Harry James Angus, Will Hull-Brown and Jamshid Khadiwala, and the first with new members Grace Barbé, Daniel Farrugia, Neda Rahmani and Lazaro Numa. Musically, ''Where the Angels Fall'' contains elements of
Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
and Afro-Cuban jazz, as well as other genres. The album peaked at No. 5 on the
ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...
Australian Artist Albums Chart, and produced four singles; "Thunder Rumbles", "Rock 'n' Roll", "Money Coming My Way" and "Owl". To promote the album, the band made several television appearances and a tour of Australia and North America. It was distributed digitally by Ditto Music, and on vinyl by Diggers Factory. ''Where the Angels Fall'' was released four and a half years after their previous album, '' Stolen Diamonds'' (2019).


Background and recording

In March 2021, Monro, the group's original bassist, left the band. Hull-Brown, Angus and Khadiwala announced in September that they would also leave the band after a final set of shows, the last of which took place at the 2022 Byron Bay Bluesfest. Riebl and McGill stated that they would lead a new iteration of the group, with the intent of "taking the band forward into its next global chapter as a re-imagined, vibrant, cross-cultural, and joyful collective of musicians and artists." On 6 September 2022, the independent management company Lemon Tree Music announced that they would sign the Cat Empire. The album was the first recorded with the band's newly altered lineup, the new members of which were announced on the group's social media platforms in late 2022. Daniel Farrugia, the band's new drummer, had been their touring drummer for several years, filling in for Will Hull-Brown before his eventual departure. Percussionist Neda Rahmani was a longtime friend of the band for many years before joining. She stated that the decision to join the group was a "logical move, and made creative sense to me – I didn't need to deliberate over it for a second". Grace Barbé toured with the band in Australia in 2019 before joining them. Jamie Searle, a member of her band, learnt on that tour that some of the original members were planning to leave the Cat Empire, and suggested that Barbé would be a good candidate for the role of bass player. Lazaro Numa joined The Empire Horns as a trumpeter based on trumpeter Roscoe James Irwin's recommendation, and none of the other members had met Numa in person before inviting him to join the band. It is also the band's first release since ''
The Cat Empire The Cat Empire are an Australian jazz/funk band, formed in Melbourne, Victoria, in 1999. For most of the band's duration, the core members were Felix Riebl (lead vocals, percussion), Harry James Angus (trumpet, vocals), Will Hull-Brown (drums), ...
'' (2003) to be produced by Andy Baldwin. Recording of the album commenced on 10 October 2022, and concluded on 21 November 2022. in the Merri-bek City Band Room, a community music space in Brunswick, which was still under construction during recording. The current iteration of the hall, which has existed in various forms since 1882, was set up by Phil Noy, a friend of the band who had played saxophone on two of their previous albums. Riebl stated that the band was attempting to recapture the "roominess" of their previous recordings at
EGREM EGREM (Empresa de Grabaciones y Ediciones Musicales, Spanish for ''Enterprise of Recordings and Musical Editions'') is the national record label of Cuba. It is headquartered in Centro Habana, where its main record studios (''Estudios Areito'' 101 ...
Studios. The album features a more expansive production style than the band's prior releases. They took advantage of the larger recording space to book more musicians, and a total of 75 musicians and 49 instruments appear on the album. The band avoided
double tracking Double tracking or doubling is an audio recording technique in which a performer sings or plays along with their own prerecorded performance, usually to produce a stronger or bigger sound than can be obtained with a single voice or instrument ...
during recording, instead choosing to bring in more players. They also developed their own custom-made samples for use on the album, rather than using existing ones. Some of them feature Barbé and Rahmani singing in their native tongues of
Seychellois Creole Seychellois Creole (), also known as Kreol, Seselwa Creole French, and Seselwa Creole is the French-based creole language spoken by the Seychellois Creole people, Seychelles Creole people of the Seychelles. It is one of the national language, na ...
and Portuguese, respectively. It is the band's first album since '' So Many Nights'' (2007) to feature a string section, although '' Steal the Light'' (2013) featured violinist Al Burkoy of Tinpan Orange.


Composition and songs

''Where the Angels Fall'' features an eclectic mixture of musical styles, including
Latin music Latin music (Portuguese language, Portuguese and ) is a term used by the music industry as a catch-all category for various styles of music from Ibero-America, which encompasses Music of Latin America, Latin America, Music of Spain, Spain, Mu ...
, Afro-Cuban jazz and
reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...
. The influence of Latin music is evident on tracks such as "Thunder Rumbles" and "Oh Mercy", while "Owl" and "Rock 'n' Roll" are influenced by
flamenco Flamenco () is an art form based on the various folkloric music traditions of southern Spain, developed within the Gitanos, gitano subculture of the region of Andalusia, and also having historical presence in Extremadura and Region of Murcia, ...
. The album also includes the reggae-influenced cut "Walls", and the
rock and roll Rock and roll (often written as rock & roll, rock-n-roll, and rock 'n' roll) is a Genre (music), genre of popular music that evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s. It Origins of rock and roll, originated from African ...
song "Dance the Night Away". "Thunder Rumbles" opens the album with a
sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J.W. Pepper & Son, J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was design ...
riff, performed by Jay Scarlett. The album takes its title from a line in the song. The band described the lyrics as "a brawl of celebration", and the song as "high-octane from start to finish". The Horns of Leroy appear prominently on the track. "Boom Boom" was written about "a city of music reemerging," in the wake of the
COVID-19 lockdowns During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Non-pharmaceutical intervention (epidemiology), non-pharmaceutical interventions, particularly lockdowns (encompassing stay-at-home orders, curfews, quarantines, and similar socie ...
of 2020 and 2021. It began as a vocal hook by Riebl, before more elements were added. Mohamed Camara and Boubacar Gaye, percussionists from Ausecuma Beats, appear on the song. "Money Coming My Way" was written about the
cost of living The cost of living is the cost of maintaining a certain standard of living for an individual or a household. Changes in the cost of living over time can be measured in a cost-of-living index. Cost of living calculations are also used to compare t ...
. The Heidelberg Wind Ensemble, who happened to be rehearsing in the space while the band was recording, made a guest appearance on the song. Baldwin plays the role of the police officer in the song's bridge. "Dance the Night Away" was written about Riebl's then six-year-old daughter Anya. The song "Owl" began life as a jam session between Riebl, McGill, and Richard and Johnny Tedesco, flamenco musicians and friends of the band. The group described it as "the most epic, expansive song on the album". "Be With You Again" was written by Riebl about the death of his younger brother
Max Max or MAX may refer to: Animals * Max (American dog) (1983–2013), at one time purported to be the world's oldest living dog * Max (British dog), the first pet dog to win the PDSA Order of Merit (animal equivalent of the OBE) * Max (gorilla) ...
, who died at the age of 30 from cancer. It features a Brazilian drumming section, conducted by Rahmani, and another appearance from the Heidelberg Wind Ensemble. It is Riebl's favourite track on the album. The album's final track, "Drift Away", is a duet between Riebl and Barbé, who sings a verse in Seychellois Creole. It was influenced by the album '' An Evening with Belafonte/Mouskouri''.


Release and promotion

On 4 August 2022, the band released the first teaser of their new music on their
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
channel. Various teasers were released in the following months on their social media. A snippet of "Thunder Rumbles", the album's
lead single A lead single (or first single) is the first single to be released from a studio album by an artist or a band, usually before the album itself is released and also occasionally on the same day of the album's release date. A similar term, "debut ...
, was released on 27 March 2023, and the full song was released three days later. The song premiered on Double J. It peaked at No. 1 on the AMRAP Metro Charts, remaining there for two weeks. The song's music video was directed by Nick Campbell and produced by Josh Harris. Giulia McGauran, who designed the album cover, provided creative direction for the video. Her work on the packaging inspired the video's visuals. It was filmed with a single
camcorder A camcorder is a self-contained portable electronic device with video and recording as its primary function. It is typically equipped with an articulating screen mounted on the left side, a belt to facilitate holding on the right side, hot-sw ...
, and inspired by music videos from the 1980s and 1990s. On 12 May, the band revealed the album's release date and album cover, and "Rock 'n' Roll" was released as the second single. The song's release was accompanied by a lyric video, in which a pair of headphones travel through various pairs of hands. It was filmed on their 2023 tour of Europe and Australia. The song debuted at No. 1 on the AMRAP Metro Charts, and stayed in that position for two weeks. "Money Coming My Way" was released as the album's third single on 22 June. The song's music video depicts the members of the band, dressed as employees, conducting a robbery of a grocery store. It was directed by Josh Harris. "I don't think we've ever had so much fun making a video clip," said Riebl of the filming. It peaked at No. 2 on the AMRAP Metro Charts, kept off the No. 1 position by " Lookin' Out" by King Stingray. The band announced a tour a month later. The final single from the album, "Owl", was released on 4 August. Riebl and McGill made a guest appearance on '' The Project'' on 23 August to discuss the album. On the day before the album's release, "Oh Mercy", "Walls" and "Drift Away" were released on the band's YouTube channel. ''Where the Angels Fall'' was released on 25 August 2023. It was made available as a CD, LP and digital download. A music video for "Boom Boom", similar in style to the video for "Thunder Rumbles" and directed by Campbell, was also released on the day. A launch party was held at the Merri-bek City Band Room to mark the album's release. It peaked at No. 5 on the ARIA Australian Artist Albums Chart. From August to September, the band released a four-part documentary on
Facebook Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
documenting the album's recording process. Riebl, McGill and Rahmani guest programmed on '' Rage'' on 16 September. It was their second time guest programming on the show – they had previously hosted it in April 2004.


Touring

The band supported the album with a world tour of Australia and North America, which began in September 2023 with a show at the
Enmore Theatre The Enmore Theatre is a theatre and entertainment venue in Enmore, New South Wales, Australia. It was built in 1908. It is located at 118–132 Enmore Road in Newtown, in the inner west of Sydney's suburbs. It was first opened in 1912 as a ph ...
, in Sydney. The Australian leg of the tour consisted of six shows, the last of which took place at the
Forum Theatre Forum theatre is a type of theatre created by Brazilian theatre director Augusto Boal. It is one of the techniques under the umbrella term of Theatre of the Oppressed (TO). This relates to the engagement of spectators influencing and engaging wit ...
in Melbourne on 6 October. The Australian-New Zealand band Coterie supported the band on every show of the Australian leg. Singer-songwriter and guitarist Steph Strings supported them on every show except for the first, where Sri-Lankan born musician Roshani took her place. They embarked on the North American leg of the tour on 18 October, with a show at the Ponte Vedra Concert Hall in Florida. After playing ten shows in the United States, they travelled to Canada, where they played four consecutive shows. They went back to the U.S. on 6 November for nine shows, before returning to Canada on 20 November, where they played four shows in a row. The final show of the tour, supported by singer-songwriter Marissa Mur, took place in Mexico City at the Auditorio Blackberry on 26 November 2023. They were supported by the
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
band High Fade on their shows in the United States. In December, they appeared at three music festivals in Australia.


Critical reception

''Where the Angels Fall'' received generally positive reviews from music critics. ''Orpheo'' stated that the album was "packed with ..intimate and heartfelt moments that will leave listeners captivated from start to finish", and praised the album for capturing the essence of the band's live performances. Marta Terrasa of ''
Mondo Sonoro ''Mondo Sonoro'', sometimes shortened to ''la Mondo'', is a Spanish magazine established in 1994 which focuses on current alternative music, alternative, popular music, popular and indie music, as well as national emerging bands. Co-founded by Serg ...
'' said that the album "recovers the enthusiasm of their beginnings and adds all the baggage of an extensive career", and that "you'd have to live in the bowels of the earth not to succumb to the euphoric pulsations of the Cat Empire, if only for a little while". ''Un Disco Al Días Fernando Neira dubbed the album "a genuine, efficient and effective display; a painkiller with a spirit as colourful as the cover", but wrote that the album became tiring on songs like "Coming Back Again", which they described as "rather showy and excessive".


Track listing


Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes. ;The Cat Empire * Felix Riebl – lead vocals,
tres Tres may refer to: * Tres (instrument), a Cuban musical instrument * Tres, Trentino, municipality in Italy * ''Tres'' (2014 film), a Filipino anthology drama film based on short stories * "Tres" (song) by Juanes *"Tres", a song by Líbido from thei ...
, percussion * Ollie McGill – piano, organ, synths * Grace Barbé – lead & backing vocals * Neda Rahmani – percussion, backing vocals * Lazaro Numa – trumpet, backing vocals * Roscoe James Irwin – trumpet, backing vocals * Kieran Conrau – trombone, backing vocals * Danny Farrugia – drums, percussion * Yuri Pavlinov – bass ;Additional musicians * Horns of Leroy – horns ** Travis Woods – trumpet ** Ben Harrison – trumpet ** Chris Vizard – trombone ** Nick Pietsch – trombone ** Jay Scarlett –
sousaphone The sousaphone ( ) is a brass musical instrument in the tuba family. Created around 1893 by J.W. Pepper & Son, J. W. Pepper at the direction of American bandleader John Philip Sousa (after whom the instrument was then named), it was design ...
* Heidelberg Wind Ensemble – woodwinds ** Stephen Carpenter – direction * Mat Jodrell – trumpet * Ben Gillespie – trombone * Phil Noy – baritone saxophone * Richard Tedesco – nylon string guitar, palmas * Johnny Tedesco –
cajón A cajón ( ; "box, crate, drawer") is a box-shaped percussion instrument originally from Peru, played by slapping the front or rear faces (generally thin plywood) with the hands, fingers, or sometimes implements such as brushes, mallets, or st ...
, palmas * Mohamed Camara – West African percussion * Boubacar Gaye – West African percussion * Edval Santos – Brazilian percussion * Mark Grunden – Brazilian percussion * Frank Gionfriddo – shouts * Andy Baldwin – backing vocals, percussion * Giulia Giannini McGauran – ocean drum, GG-phone * Adrian "Tjupurru" Fabila - didjeribone ;String musicians * Cameron Jamieson * Ioana Tache * Madeleine Jevons * Monica Curro * Lynette Rayner * Lisa Reynolds * Ceridwen Davies * Matt Laing * Charlotte Jacke * Kalina Krusteva ;Technical personnel * Andy Baldwin – production, mixing * Felix Riebl – production * Ollie McGill – production * Roscoe James Irwin – production, horn and string arrangements, orchestration * Lachlan Carrick – mastering * Phil Noy – assistant engineer, lab services * Giulia Giannini McGauran – artwork * Sebi White – artwork design


Charts


References


External links

* * {{authority control 2023 albums The Cat Empire albums Albums produced by Felix Riebl Albums produced by Roscoe James Irwin