Cats & Jammers' joyride

Cats & Jammers

hurray for everything

A self-described "bubblegum joy ride," Cats & Jammers is a Chicago-based four-member pop band. Their debut album, hurray for everything, released on Beluga Records, sounds at first like an angsty teen singing alone in his bedroom to his favorite record but never quite matching the musicality of the accompaniment.

Cats & Jammers' sound suggests a punk rock influence, which comes across very well in the high-quality instrumental sections of its songs. Two of the better cuts on this album are "Hour Glass" and "Vacation," both of which showcase the skills of drummer Kevin Hoetger and guitarist and singer Scott Anthony.

One of the more whiny cuts, "World of Squares," has a melancholy, mellow sound, which seems to suit Anthony's singing style more than the faster, up-tempo songs. The next cut, "Slave," quickly reverts back to the catchy drum beats heard previously on the album. Drummer Hoetger also seems to mask the vocals to a certain extent. "People are Stupid" begins with and contains some groove-inspiring guitar licks.

Although the vocals at the beginning of the album seem slightly annoying and repetitive, after a few tracks they seem to fuse into the Cats & Jammers garage-band sound, characterized by simple yet strong drum beats, softcore punk music, and pop vocals. Despite the clichéd issues addressed in the majority of the songs, the lyrics are amusing and have an appealing playful quality. Unfortunately, they often get lost in Anthony's nasal, whiny singing. Many of the songs actually have lyrics worth listening to, like "People are Stupid," which offers some social insight. Verses such as "I'll ... never laugh when you tell me a white trash nigger joke" should ideally be able to be heard.

There is enough variety on the album to keep from becoming too repetitive and boring, even if the vocals sound similar on every track. Cats & Jammers brings to mind a fusion of Sublime, the Suicide Machines, the Smashing Pumpkins and the Beatles. The quality of the album would skyrocket if the singer would only exhibit a bit more finesse. Overall, hurray for everything does become charming. Perhaps this album would do best blasted out of a car stereo on a long drive. Cats & Jammers does, in fact, sound like a novice opening band, but despite the annoying and distracting vocals this band is an entertaining and fun listen.

Cats & Jammers will be opening for Wesley Willis in Cleveland at the Euclid Tavern on November 12.
- Hannah Blumenfeld