Album Review: Chris Catalyst - “Kaleidoscopes”

 

Safe to say that this is an album that’s been hotly anticipated in these parts. Chris Catalyst (both solo and when he's fronting the Eureka Machines) is one of those guys where you can't help but wonder why someone who's such a talented songwriter with an ear for a great tune and perpetually able to keep the listener interested isn't someone able to sell out academy sized venues across the UK and regularly score Top 10 albums.

It's been a couple of years since we last heard from Chris via the Eurekas' Victories album - admittedly the Covid crisis did kind of get in the way of things but this album definitely reminds you how much we've missed the guy while he's been away. From the squalling riff of opener Make Good Art (which features none other than Neil Gaiman reading out a manifesto while Chris provides the instrumentation), it's clear the guy means business here. King of Everything, Divide And Rule and A Modern Adventure see not only Catalyst at his most political with a withering attack on the "mustn't grumble" attitude of the population towards their hateful overlords at Westminster but also at his most punchy and tuneful and it makes for some of the strongest songs he's done in a while.

There's a definite air of dissatisfaction running through this album as evidenced in the dense claustrophobia of The Ride, the paranoid Never Going To Change and the stark Untangling The Blue although last year's big singalong single Happy provides some light to the shade and is a welcome inclusion here as is the anti-depression arm around the shoulder of I'm Not Okay. The defiant Falling Down is a great send off to bring the album home as well, pointing the way onwards and upwards.

Varied, thought-provoking and with plenty of memorable hooks and choruses coming from every direction, Kaleidoscopes is the sound of Chris Catalyst doing what he does best and is a more than worthy follow-up to his excellent first solo effort Life Is Often Brilliant. With a good mix of righteous anger and empathy, this is definitely going to be up there in our end of year awards in eight and a bit months' time.

Bandcamp link here

NITE SONGS RATING: 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 (9/10)

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