Margo "The Catnap"

My cat has been acting strange today. I've been listening to The Catnap, and my cat--who usually sleeps in a box next to the computer, has been entranced by this record. She's acting all hypnotized, too--she's twisting her head in some sort of cat-dance type of thing, and it looks awesome, my friend. She's all dopey-looking, somewhat trancelike, and she's really affected in a way that she's never been before. It's the most amazing thing, too; Mary (the cat) has listened to some pretty harsh stuff in the past year, and she's listened to some pretty dance-worthy stuff, too, but none of those other records have caused her to have such a reaction.

Really, though, there's not that much to Margo's music. It's very simple--almost childlike---and it's quite innocent. There's nothing hard or weird or strange or peculiar about Margo's m.o.; I wouldn't be surprised if they indeed made music to satisfy all cats, and nothing more. It's very much a European record, too; Margo fits easily between such wonderful artists as Donna Regina, Hermann und Kleine, Ulrich Schnauss or just about anything else on the Karaoke Kalk/City Centre Offices labels. Though like most electronica/ambient albums, the music is rather anonymous, enjoyable, and non-descript. No one song stands out above the other, but, really, with albums like this, are they supposed to?

I haven't had a single complaint about The Catnap, though. It's exactly like I like my electronica--smooth, easy on the ears, enjoyable, with just a hint of beat. There are some pretty sweet, innocent vocals on here, too, (all sung with a sweet English-via-French-accent girl voice) but it's not one of those records--no divas here! I like this record, even though I'm really at a loss to what I can say about it. It's pretty electronica that makes my cat dance, and if you like pretty electronica that will make your cat dance, I can easily say that The Catnap is the record for you--and your kitty.

--Joseph Kyle