Now old Mr. Johnson had troubles of his own

Odradek

He had a yellow cat which wouldn't leave its home;
He tried and he tried to give the cat away,
He gave it to a man goin' far, far away.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

The man around the corner swore he'd kill the cat on sight,
He loaded up his shotgun with nails and dynamite;
He waited and he waited for the cat to come around,
Ninety seven pieces of the man is all they found.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

He gave it to a little boy with a dollar note,
Told him for to take it up the river in a boat;
They tied a rope around its neck, it must have weighed a pound
Now they drag the river for a little boy that's drowned.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

He gave it to a man going up in a balloon,
He told him for to take it to the man in the moon;
The balloon came down about ninety miles away,
Where he is now, well I dare not say.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

He gave it to a man going way out West,
Told him for to take it to the one he loved the best;
First the train hit the curve, then it jumped the rail,
Not a soul was left behind to tell the gruesome tale.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

Away across the ocean they did send the cat at last,
Vessel only out a day and making water fast;
People all began to pray, the boat began to toss,
A great big gust of wind came by and every soul was lost.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

The cat was a possessor of a family of its own,
With seven little kittens till there came a cyclone;
Blew the houses all apart and tossed the cat around,
The air was full of kittens, and not a one was ever found.

But the cat came back the very next day,
The cat came back, we thought he was a goner
But the cat came back; it just couldn't stay away.
Away, away, yea, yea, yea

So Mr. Johnson just moved. Solved the problem for Johnson and the cat was someone else's problem, or rather not, because most people don't have weird manias to get rid of cats.

KJI

Yes, Myrmidon, we all know you dislike Icycalm. Try being a little more subtle next time.

Sredni Vashtar

^ Who or what is Icycalm and why or how is Odradek being unsubtle in his dislike of it or them?

Odradek

KJJ is joking. This thread is completely unrelated to Icycalm(who is a weird egostical videogame person) but KJJ is joking that it is, because I used to make bad metaphor threads about things I hate on IJBM.

Salix Babylonika

Icycalm, apply directly to the forehead.

Sredni Vashtar

^^ Ah. Yes. I remember that. I kind of enjoyed those threads, for the same reason that I both love and hate album reviews that have almost nothing to do with the album they're reviewing.

Vriska

I used to go around singing the chorus of this all the time.

Sredni Vashtar

"But the cat came back the very next day..."

KJI

^^ Ah. Yes. I remember that. I kind of enjoyed those threads, for the same reason that I both love and hate album reviews that have almost nothing to do with the album they're reviewing.

Radiohead Radiohead Radiohead

Sredni Vashtar

^ ...?

KJI

I apologize. I was neing unclear. Let me clarify:

RadioheadRadioheadRadioheadRadioheadRadioheadRadioheadRadiohead

KJI

My name is KJI, Odekirk. 

KJI

Six years on from its release, Psyence Fiction-- the long-simmering pet project of Mo'Wax founder James Lavelle and his then-UNKLE co-conspirator/meal ticket DJ Shadow-- still ranks as one of the most anti-climactic and jaw-dropping disappointments of recent years. Seemingly powered by Lavelle's own sense of self-satisfaction, the record pulled off an odd triple crown: it was overcooked, half-baked, and underdone all at the same time. An epochal mix of atmospheric, experimental hip-hop and soul-stirring rock, Psyence Fiction was an unapologetic attempt to create an epic Statement of a record, but while long on star power and ambition, it came up short on little things like, oh, vitality, restraint, emotional resonance, and tunes.From the go, Psyence Fiction was highly anticipated by writers who assumed it would produce greatness. Instead, they got lazy Hello Nasty melodies, Entroducing-outtake breakbeats, and guest spots that seemed mismatched with the project itself. Despite Mike D's phoned-in wisp of a cameo, the biggest raspberries must go to the always punchable Richard Ashcroft whose "Lonely Soul" is so seeped in new age pandering and the drive to be Very, Very Important that, were compact discs not limited to 80 minutes, it would probably still be teasing us with false stops and pointlessly unspooling to this day.Lavelle's decision to follow with another UNKLE record is laudable for its gumption if not its wisdom, but it's no surprise that, as much as the four-years-in-the-making Psyence Fictionwas anticipated, Never Never Land was ignored (even by your pals at Pitchfork-- after all, the record was released in the UK more than four months ago). After mostly handling the conceptual and marketing details of the first UNKLE record, Lavelle took a greater role in the musical conception of this disc. DJ Shadow is out as Lavelle's right-hand man, now replaced by the largely unknown Richard File (though it might have been wiser, if only for publicity, to bring back the DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, an original UNKLE member from the pre-Shadow days). And the new roster of guest stars-- among them, Stone Roses vocalist Ian Brown, Queens of the Stone Age's Josh Homme, and Massive Attack's 3D, plus uncredited appearances from Brian Eno and Jarvis Cocker-- doesn't have the same sort of A-list ring offered by the first record. And yet, in spite (or because?) of all this, it's an improvement on the past.Never Never Land seems to address its predecessors' failure and Lavelle's own spiraling career right from the start, as a spoken-word sample (rather wince-inducingly) describes life as a series of peaks and valleys. Lavelle's basic approach to music-making hasn't changed. He still trades in texture and atmosphere, favoring sweeping strings, cinematic grandeur, a mix of pop sensibilities with downtempo music, and an obsession with science fiction. The addition of File lends a more human quality to the tracks, largely because his hand guides a series of voices whereas Psyence Fiction had Shadow dealing more with a series of personalities or stars. File's arid singer/songwriter approach and wistful vocals lend Never Never Land a breezy quality, but also little to pin down or ground the tracks. Rhythm is almost completely replaced here by often drifting atmospherics, and of File's key contributions, only the graceful "What Are You to Me?" really shines. When beats are central to the tracks-- as on the Joy Division-sampling paranoia of "Panic Attack"-- they're oddly compelling.Of the guests, 3D's "Invasion" chides Bush and Blair (a theme also hinted at on the Temptations-quoting "Eye for an Eye") but pulls too few punches, Homme's "Safe in Mind" is spacious but forgettable, and Cocker and Eno lend a couple of hands to a sleepy ambient exercise. Oddly, Ian Brown's batty echo chamber "Reign" is appropriate spliff-casualty stuff and among the album's strongest tracks. So Never Never Land is far from being either vindicating or enthralling. It's sometimes paranoid, sometimes aimless head music. This time, there weren't any UNKLE action figures or other branding attempts, just a quiet record that was quietly released and has (already) quietly slipped away. It's just as well: Considering the buildup to, quality of, and career fallout following Psyence Fiction, anonymity may suit Lavelle. It at least positions him to regroup, crawl out of his valley, and aim once again for those peaks.

KJI

Since DJ Shadow's brilliant 1996 debut, Endtroducing, his name has become synonymous with dark beats, eerie samples, and fresh experimentalism. Mo' Wax Records founder James Lavelle, on the other hand, is recognized as a real ideas-man with a great head for business. After the release of Shadow's debut, the two decided to collaborate. UNKLE is the result.Since Lavelle can't play a note of music, most of the actual studio work was left to Shadow who brings his atmospheric sound to Psyence Fiction, one of the most anticipated albums of the year. The record jumps all over the map; one minute you're listening to bottom-heavy big beat, the next you're swimming in the pool at old lady trip-hop's house. But despitePsyence Fiction's eclecticism, Shadow and Lavelle were able to maintain direction, creating a chilling excursion into a land of ethereal keyboard loops, dramatic string sections, and serious-ass rhythm assaults.Psyence Fiction also boasts several brilliant collaborations with rock superstars, some of which comprise a few of the record's greatest moments: Metallica bassist Jason Newsted goes head- to- head with the Beastie Boys' Mike Diamond on "Celestial Annihilation," a hard-hitting rap number with a shimmering lunar backdrop; the Verve's Richard Ashcroft was brought in for vocals on the gloomy "Lonely Soul"; Alice Temple lends her soulful imagery to "Bloodstain", which seems almost four-dimensional in parts; and Radiohead's Thom Yorke adds his trademark angstful melancholy to the amazing and theatrical "Rabbit In Your Headlights," a song which contains one of the most heartbreaking vocal samples in the history of music.Whereas most electronic records won't do much for those not into the genre's breakbeats and Atari-esque sound effects, Psyence Fiction comes through as both a genius piece of electronic music history and a remarkable pop album. Friends, UNKLE is for everybody.-Ryan Schreiber

KJI

Ace Rimmer

What has BoJo ever done to you?

KJI

Everything, Zombie Reagan. Everything~