Tracklist
1 | Make A Wish | |
2 | Hollow Inside | |
3 | Faded | |
4 | Not Like I Was Doing Anything | |
5 | Disappointed | |
6 | I Wanted None Of This | |
7 | Fire Damage | |
8 | Halo | |
9 | Aurora | |
10 | It Might Never Happen | |
11 | Nothing’s Ever Quite That Simple | |
12 | Brighter Star | |
13 | The Phoebe I Know | |
14 | Little And Small | |
15 | Sleepyhead | |
16 | Dust From A Memory | |
17 | A 50s Ballad | |
18 | A Few Words | |
19 | From My Window | |
20 | Third Floor Fire Escape View | |
21 | You Left A Note On The Table | |
22 | Short Sighted | |
23 | I Hate Myself More Than You Do | |
24 | Talking To Trees | |
25 | Icecream | |
26 | Saviour For The Hurrying Man | |
27 | Ferry No. 6 | |
28 | Nothing New | |
29 | Climb My Stairs | |
30 | Autumn | |
31 | I Really Don’t Know | |
32 | Sunday | |
33 | Memphis ‘54 | |
34 | Walk On By | |
35 | Georgie |
The Cat’s Miaow return with their second compilation for the imprint, and the fourth in a loosely defined series of reissues associated with the group (also including The Shapiros’ »Gone By Fall: The Collected Works of The Shapiros« and Hydroplane’s »Selected Songs 1997-2003«).
It’s a smart selection of songs by one of Australia’s finest independent pop music groups, whose initial run, across the nineties, was as mysterious as it was bewitching. A generous double album featuring thirty-five songs drawn from The Cat’s Miaow’s history, »Skipping Stones« lets listeners in on a bunch more secrets. It's also a fascinating snapshot of one arm of the ‘international pop underground’. While they were clearly listening to music from the US, UK and elsewhere – there are glimpses of Galaxie 500, Spacemen 3, Beat Happening, and The Pastels in some of the songs here – The Cat’s Miaow also feel, consciously or not, part of a continuum of Australian underground pop that takes in The Particles, The Lighthouse Keepers, The Cannanes, The Honeys, Even As We Speak, and The Sugargliders (who they would cover several times). Like those before them, The Cat’s Miaow balanced opposing forces in their music: naivete and knowingness; fragility and strength; worldliness and world-weariness; play and seriousness; heartache and pleasure.