The Treehouse family have made no bones about sharing their influences in their songs before, whether it be movies, places or whatever – as much as anything, it is their continuing sense of excitement and discovery that makes the next new release always worth listening to. Musically too, there's frequently the sense of a cap being doffed in the direction of some obscure quarter of their record collection. But this new release goes a little further and is just a little bit special.
The Cat of Tomorrow's previous release, Sonic Manga, was all about the stuff he liked, and so's this new single but this one-two hit (it would be a double A-side if released on vinyl, count on it) of "Cashville" and "Bobbie Gentry" pay tribute in word and arrangement. The Cat's put the keyboard and drum machine to one side for this project and picked up his guitar to create a more sympathetic backing for the songs.
If you're too busy to watch Walk The Line, or don't have the time to read “Cash” by Johnny Cash (the favourite book ever of High Fidelity's protagonist, so you really should), then “Cashville” tells you all you need to know about The Man In Black. The music – imagine “Jackson” with Moe Tucker on drums – nails it, too. Seriously, the only thing it lacks is that wasn't recorded in a prison: the Cat's too pretty to survive for long in jail, so he wasn't going to risk it. But you can add your own imaginary whoops and hollers, and you'll stand up to cheer at the end.
The sun beats down and reflects off the river, as a guitar is lazily strummed and a noon-day hymn is sung in praise of Bobbie G. More specifically, listening to “Ode To Billie Joe” on the radio if you lived in Chickasaw County. The Cat's got the atmosphere, and the imagery to a tee here as well, even down to the sad sawing of the cellos to add a little more mystery. Close your eyes and you too will be drifting down the river without a care in the world.
So, two tributes to favourite artists both musically and lyrically, capturing their spirit in a way that shows real love and understanding. If you have Cash and Gentry in your collection, you'll want to dig them out again after listening to this and if you don't... you'll be inspired by the Cat of Tomorrow. - Jeremy Bye.
