Schroeder's Cat – Schroeder's Cat

After I dropped out of secondary school, I had little better to do than mooch about the record store in the basement of Leeds' Corn Exchange. Back then, it was a focal point for those who reckoned the odds of something interesting were most likely to occur in this haven for those with no particular plans. The shop was run by Carl, who left regular customers in charge of the place whilst he went fuck-knows-where for a few minutes. He kept the back of the place devoted to cheap US imports and dubious indie label promo's most had never heard of. If you bought anything from him, you were liable to be subjected to a discount and encouraged to select something for free from this section. You just guessed whether you were gonna strike gold or acquire some tat to fill your bedroom based on a band name or the cover. It's from here that I made many great discoveries I've had no indication that I'd have ever found anywhere else. This charming EP is one of those chance picks.

The overall sound here is of washed-out guitars which chug along, gradually storing up more and more energy, before crashing over primitively sequenced drums. It has some indescribable need to be played over and over and over again, which, from first hearing, I've never quite put my finger on. My long-held suspicion is that the lyrics, "We don't know how to say goodbye", is some kind of in-joke for those locked into its seemingly endless loops of build-ups and outbursts of audio fuzz that, at times, are reminiscent of a plane engine. Other lyrics are brief and usually work as either a set-up for a climatic moment or a motif. All four tracks hold up strong and have a pleasing consistency; meaning this EP can be played on either side without pause. Given its lack of notoriety, it has instead become an intensely personal memento of being fifteen and sixteen. Carl, wherever you are these days, you deserve recognition! Schroeder's Cat too! You can always make the world a little bit better by giving us a follow-up release...