Elizabeth and the Catapult is a really amazing band. It is a trio of Elizabeth Ziman (vocals), Pete Lalish (guitar), and Dan Molad (drums). Ziman is a Young People's Chorus of New York City alumni and I discovered her when we (the chorus) were doing a concert at Carnegie Hall and she performed her single Devil's Calling. I absolutely fell in love with her (you know what I mean). So, of course, I ended up getting her three singles and devouring them. They didn't really have a good website set up and there was virtually no information on them anywhere so I didn't post about her band on this blog. One day I was looking in the music section in Border's and I saw her album! I was so excited! They also have a great website at www.elizabethandthecatapult.com where you can also find their Twitter, MySpace and Facebook pages.
Their debut album, Taller Children, was released this year and has a beautiful blend of jazz, pop, indie, and rock using lots of different instruments that most bands don't use or at least not in that style. There's a lot of simplicity in her lyrics, but there's also a lot of deep emotion to them and sometimes they're very metaphorical in their simplicity.... that make sense? Her songs suck you into another world. It feels like they're washing away all your stress and, as my friend said after she listened to them, "It's different. It's a nice break from all the crap in the world.". I completely agree. Her songs are full of wonder and hope and they put life in perspective, in a way. All her songs just make you feel good. Some make you want to skip in the rain or run as fast and as far as you can or swing under the sun or just sit down by a window and watch the world. I hope you enjoy :D
Tracks:
[*=single]
1. *Momma's Boy- *****
2. Taller Children- ****
3. Rainiest Day of Summer- *****
4. Race You- *****
5. Apathy- ****
6. The Hang Up- ***1/2
7. Hit The Wall- *****
8. Right Next To You- **
9. Everybody Knows- ***1/2
10. Complimentary Me- ***1/2
11. *Golden Ink- *****
12. Just In Time- *****
Momma's Boy is one of my favorite songs on this album. It has a kind of retro feel to it and I like the keyboard and guitar, it's very cool. I like the words; they're not complicated but they send a very obvious message without being cheesy or mediocre.
The next song, after whom the album is named, is a really cool blend of jazz and pop with a few rock elements. I like the message: "In the end, we're all just taller children." And at first I thought it was going to be about how we never really grow up, but now I see it as "We're just taller children. We still need to relax and play. Stop acting so grown up!"
The Rainiest Day Of Summer is a beautiful calming song that makes you just want to sit by a window while it's raining or walk down the street in a downpour, spinning and splashing and skipping or simply sitting, "melancholy, melancholy...". It's a wonderful combination of strings, piano and drums. It has a good combination of styles.
Race You is so much fun! You just wanna get up and run! It sort of makes you forget about life. Or better yet, enjoy it! It's just so mundane about racing someone back home, your dinner's getting cold and your family's waiting to greet you. And you're sure you're going to win! It's just so enjoyable in it's simplicity.
Apathy is a gorgeous ballad. It's wonderfully written and though it doesn't vary much, it keeps you interested. It's very emotional about the fear of losing the chance for love and not being understood for it.
The Hang Up is really funny because it has happy music and it's sung pretty upbeat but it's about how she'd rather be doing ANYTHING than putting up with this guy lol. It's a fun little break up song XD
Hit The Wall is a great song. It's very interesting and I love the suspenseful feeling mixed with darker emotions like recklessness and determination. I love the style and the use of guitars, drums, strings and backing vocals. I also love the free style she does near the end of the song; very well put together.
I may have to go as far as to say that Right Next To You is my least favorite song of the bunch. It seems very cheesy and lounge-like. And the synthesizing in the middle is very weird... But the verses are nice. I just think the chorus gets very slow and monotonic. The backing vocals also just don't work.... By the end I just tend to be kind of bored.
Everybody Knows has a very intriguing beginning starting with just Elizabeth and drums, building up with percussion. The verses are very interesting with the jazzy, dark feeling. E&TC's use of strings is just brilliant. I don't like the chorus as much, it tends to be repetitive. It doesn't change. But I still think the lyrics are great <3
Another song with great lyrics is Complimentary Me. The chorus isn't my favorite, I especially like the beginning. The lyrics and what the song is written about is interesting, though.
Golden Ink is another beautifully written song that sort of puts you into a surreal world of golden skies and sliver breeze. It sweet. To me it's about writing an amazing fantasy and running out of thoughts and sort of getting stuck in this make-believe world you've created. It's nice.
One of the most beautiful and touching love songs of all time: Just In Time. I fall for very few love songs. Most of them are cheesy or boring or over processed or just plain annoying, but this song is so organic, so pure. The lyrics are absolutely raw and filled with emotion and just brilliant. It's like someone's heart described in music. It's. Just. Brilliant.
