All Blackshirts To Me
Album | Cats On Fire
Finnish act revisits the post-post-punk U.K.
Singer-songwriter Matthias Bjorkas, the sole constant behind Finnish indie collective Cats On Fire, seems to have an unapologetic fondness for a certain strain of British indie music: tell a fan of Felt, Television Personalities or The Monochrome Set that All Blackshirts To Me was a rare release from the Cherry Red label from approximately 1982, and they'd probably believe you. (Well, except that the lyrics of "1914 and Beyond," which pointedly skewers the Eurozone financial crisis, would be a tip-off.) A singing voice startlingly similar to Orange Juice-era Edwyn Collins, as well as a characteristic fondness for minor-key tunes and acoustic guitars, are all well and good, but what lifts this album beyond mere mimicry is Bjorkas' knack for the kind of melodies that flit through your mind hours after listening, along with a knack for sharply-rendered details in his conversational lyrics.
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