Just Like the Fambly Cat

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Just Like the Fambly Cat
Just Like the Fambly Cat - Grandaddy.jpg
Studio album by Grandaddy
Released 9 May 2006 (9 May 2006)
Genre
Length 61:14
Label V2
Producer Jason Lytle
Grandaddy chronology
Excerpts from the Diary of Todd Zilla (EP)
(2005)String Module Error: Match not found2005		 Just Like the Fambly Cat
(2006)

Just Like the Fambly Cat is the fourth and final studio album by American indie rock band Grandaddy. It was released on May 9, 2006 by record label V2.

The album reached No. 171 on the Billboard 200 and No. 10 on the Top Independent Albums chart,[1] as well as No. 50 on the UK Albums Chart.[2] The album was well-received by critics.

Background

The album's title is a reference to frontman Jason Lytle's desire to leave his home town of Modesto, California without any fuss, stating "[cats will] do that, almost out of respect and not wanting to put people out [...] because when the family cat dies, he doesn't make a big deal about it... He just disappears".[3][4]

Recording

Lytle spent eighteen months recording the album at a studio in Modesto, California.[5] Regarding the recording process, Lytle noted "During the one-and-a-half years that I recorded this album I lost my girl, my friends, my home, estranged my family, got sober, got wasted... I got too many things going on. The band breaking up only became a reality at the end of the recording. Many songs that people claim to be directly related to the band are actually directly related to other things I had going on."[6]

The album does not feature any of the other band members, apart from Aaron Burtch who performed "most of" the album's drums.[6] Lytle chose to credit the album to the band, stating "It's much more natural to imagine a band rocking out together than it is to imagine one frustrated guy at 4:30am in his boxer shorts and messed up hair, slaving over the same keyboard part for four-and-a-half hours. I recorded and wrote all of the music and the parts [but] I didn't want to distract the listener from whatever they needed to think when they heard the music."[6]

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source Rating
AllMusic 4/5 stars[7]
Blender 2.5/5 stars[8]
Robert Christgau A−[9]
Entertainment Weekly A−[10]
Filter 92%[11]
The Guardian 4/5 stars[12]
Pitchfork 6.8/10[13]
Stylus B[14]
The Times 3/5 stars[15]
Uncut favorable[16]

Critical response to the album was positive. AllMusic reviewer Tim Sendra called the album "a fine epitaph".[7] Mojo gave it three stars,[17] as did Spin, who called it "equal parts bang and whimper".[18] Billboard commented on the albums "more personal" lyrics and called the album "a worthy coda to a woefully under-appreciated band".[19] The Boston Globe described it as "a gorgeous album that should be admired much like a fleeting sunny afternoon or a sad foreign movie viewed without subtitles".[20] The Stranger gave it a three-star review, noting an "air of melancholic finality" and calling the songwriting "the best it's been since The Sophtware Slump".[21] The Guardian called it "a sad record... but an inspiring one too".[12]

Track listing

All songs written and composed by Jason Lytle, except "Shangri-La (Outro)" by Jeff Lynne. 

No. Title Length
1. "What Happened..."   2:19
2. "Jeez Louise"   3:41
3. "Summer... It's Gone"   5:30
4. "Oxygen/Aux Send"   1:08
5. "Rear View Mirror"   6:08
6. "The Animal World"   4:53
7. "Skateboarding Saves Me Twice"   3:22
8. "Where I'm Anymore"   6:07
9. "50%"   1:02
10. "Guide Down Denied"   6:32
11. "Elevate Myself"   3:41
12. "Campershell Dreams"   3:44
13. "Disconnecty"   3:34
14. "This Is How It Always Starts"   6:46
15. "Shangri-La (Outro)" (hidden track) 2:16

Personnel

Grandaddy
Additional personnel
  • Kevin Garcia – backing vocals
  • Rusty Miller – backing vocals
  • Lauren Goldfarb – dialogue (track 1)
  • Lucea Legnini – dialogue (track 1)
Technical
  • Lucky Lew – engineering
  • Dave Trumfio – mixing
  • Greg Calbi – mastering
  • Jen Murse – digital finesse
  • Adrian Mendoza – "photo help"

References

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  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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  19. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  20. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  21. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.

External links

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