Two Shoes
Studio album by
the Cat Empire
Released19 April 2005 (2005-04-19)
RecordedNovember–December 2004
StudioEGREM Studios
Genre
Length58:50
LabelVirgin
Producer
  • Jerry Boys
  • Felix Riebl
  • The Cat Empire
The Cat Empire chronology
The Cat Empire
(2003)		 Two Shoes
(2005)		 Cities
(2006)
Singles from Two Shoes
  1. "Sly"
    Released: 28 March 2005
  2. "The Car Song"
    Released: 20 June 2005
  3. "Two Shoes"
    Released: 28 August 2005

Two Shoes is the second studio album by Australian ska-jazz band the Cat Empire, which was issued on 19 April 2005. It is the follow-up to their successful self-titled debut album. It was recorded in November to December 2004 in Havana, Cuba. It débuted at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart and is the band's first number 1 album.

Background

Australian ska-jazz group, the Cat Empire, released their second album, Two Shoes, on 19 April 2005. It was recorded in Havana, Cuba, at Egrem Studios, late in the previous year, with production by the Cat Empire, Felix Riebl (percussion and vocals) and United Kingdom-based producer, Jerry Boys.[1] It débuted at the top of the ARIA Albums Chart and is the band's first number 1 album, the second being Rising with the Sun.[2] The tracks were more Latin in flavour, with a higher proportion written by Harry James Angus (trumpet and vocals) than on their self-titled debut album. The Australian version contains a hidden track, called "1001", which is coupled with the track, "The Night That Never End".[3] Some later versions included songs that appeared on their debut album.[1] The lead single, "Sly", was issued ahead of the album on 28 March, which reached the top 30.[2] It appeared on EA Sports' FIFA 08 soundtrack.[4] "The Car Song", written by Angus, was released as the second single in July, and peaked in the top 50.[2][5]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]
FasterLouder(positive)[6]
The Music Box[7]
IGN[8]

AllMusic's Jeff Tamarkin wrote, "Skipping merrily from alt-rock crunch to hip-hop beats, landing on reggae/ska, Latin jazz, and points in between, Two Shoes is clever and brainy, danceable and absorbing".[1] Faster Louder described it as "an album that captures the band’s contagious energy and party spirit", and "fun, sexy and moving at the same time".[6]

John Metzger of the Music Box stated that, while the album "lyrically [...] falters as the Cat Empire attempt to straddle the line between lighthearted and serious concepts, [...] its youthful ruminations matter little as the Cat Empire’s exuberant energy and giddily resplendent music are enough to make Two Shoes a captivating endeavor that surely will defeat even the worst cases of the winter blues."[6]

On Rolling Stone's 2022 and 2023 lists of the 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time, Two Shoes came in at No. 150. Britanny Jenke dubbed the album an "instant classic that felt representative of experiencing the group on the live stage" in her review, and stated that it proves "the Cat Empire hadn’t lucked out with their debut, they were just a music-making machine who had only begun to hit their stride".[9][10]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Felix Riebl,[11] unless otherwise indicated.

Australian version
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sly" 3:47
2."In My Pocket"Harry Angus5:04
3."Lullaby" 5:35
4."The Car Song"Angus4:19
5."Two Shoes" 5:13
6."Miserere" 6:39
7."Sol y Sombra"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
  • Ollie McGill
  • Ryan Monro
6:02
8."Party Started"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
  • McGill
3:46
9."Protons, Neutrons, Electrons"Angus4:44
10."Saltwater"Angus4:06
11."The Night That Never End"
  • Riebl
  • McGill
5:35
12."1001" (Hidden track - starts at 5:35 of "The Night That Never End") 4:00
Total length:58:50

Special Edition Bonus DVD

  1. Documentary - "Estudio 101: The Making of Two Shoes"
  2. Live at The Forum - "Lullaby" and "The Car Song"
  3. Music Videos - "Sly", "The Car Song" and "Two Shoes"
  4. The Making of "Two Shoes" Music Video.
Indica Records special edition
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Sly" 3:47
2."In My Pocket"Angus5:04
3."Lullaby" 5:35
4."The Car Song"Angus4:19
5."Two Shoes" 5:13
6."The Chariot" (Havana version) 5:07
7."Sol y Sombra"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
  • McGill
  • Monro
6:02
8."Party Started"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
  • McGill
3:46
9."Protons, Neutrons, Electrons"Angus4:44
10."Hello" 3:44
11."How to Explain?" 3:37
12."The Lost Song" 3:15
13."Days Like These"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
  • McGill
4:07
14."The Rhythm"
  • Riebl
  • Angus
3:24
15."The Wine Song"Angus7:22
Total length:69:06

Indica Records Bonus DVD

  1. Live at The Forum - "Lullaby" and "The Car Song"
  2. Woodford Folk Festival - "Sly" and "How to Explain?"
  3. From On the Attack - "The Lost Song", "The Rhythm", and DVD 'encore' videos - "Dancers" and "L'Hotel de Californie".
  4. Music videos - "Hello", "The Chariot", "The Car Song" and "Two Shoes".

Personnel

Charts

Chart (2005) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[12] 1

Certifications

Region CertificationCertified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[13] Platinum 70,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Tamarkin, Jeff. "Two Shoes – The Cat Empire". AllMusic. Retrieved 8 September 2014. Note: Click on 'Credits' tab for additional information.
  2. 1 2 3 Hung, Steffen. "The Cat Empire Discography". Australian Charts Portal. Hung Medien. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  3. ↑ "Two Shoes [album]". Trove. National Library of Australia. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  4. ↑ "FIFA 08 Soundtrack Announced". FIFA 2008 News. WordPress. 11 September 2007. Archived from the original on 15 June 2009. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  5. ↑ "'The Car Song' at APRA search engine". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 8 September 2014. Note: User may have to click 'Search again' and provide details at 'Enter a title:' e.g The Car Song; or at 'Performer:' The Cat Empire
  6. 1 2 3 "The Cat Empire – Two Shoes". Music Reviews. FasterLouder (Sound Alliance). 23 April 2005. Archived from the original on 28 January 2018. Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  7. ↑ Metzger, John (February 2007). "The Cat Empire – Two Shoes". The Music Box. 14 (2). Retrieved 8 September 2014.
  8. ↑ Grischow, Chad (15 February 2017). "The Cat Empire - Two Shoes". IGN. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 13 November 2023.
  9. ↑ Jenke, Britanny. "Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time". Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  10. ↑ Jenke, Britanny. "Rolling Stone's 200 Greatest Australian Albums of All Time". Archived from the original on 3 December 2022. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  11. ↑ "How to Explain". APRA Works Search. Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Retrieved 4 May 2015. Note: user may have to click on 'Search again' and add details e.g. at 'Enter a title:' How to Explain, or at 'Performer:' Cat Empire
  12. ↑ "Australiancharts.com – The Cat Empire – Two Shoes". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  13. ↑ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 2005 Albums" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association.
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