Local H- Pack Up the Cats

Bound for the Cats

September 1st, 1998 was the day I had been looking
forward to for a long time. Local H's new album, "Pack Up
the Cats" was finally going to be released. My first
exposure to Local H was seeing the video for "Bound for
the Floor" (it's the song that goes, "you just don't get it, you
keep it copacetic...") on MTV's 120 Minutes late one night.
I thought the song was most groovy and a few weeks later I
was lucky enough to see them in concert. From that night
on, I've been a huge fan.

"Pack Up the Cats" is actually Local H's third LP and in my
opinion, their best. When they were first going into the
studio, Scott Lucas (lead guitar/bass, vocals) mentioned
that he really liked the idea of a concept album, a la Pink
Floyd's "Dark Side of the Moon". Well, the concept here is
cats, they're are all over this record. From the cover art, to
meowing in the background and even in the lyrics, cats are
referenced from front to back. I was at an H show in
Oklahoma City in September of '98 and I was talking to
the bands road manager and good friend, Gabe
Rodriguez. I asked him if the cats were supposed to be
symbolic of something and he just kind of grinned and
said, "Not really." Whether or not they do, I'll probably
never know for certain, it just seems that since the cats are
so prevalant in the record that it's very unlikely that they are
meaningless.

The lyrics seem to tell the story of a man who has to leave
something and someone behind to move to a new place
that at first may be a bit uncomforable, yet he welcomes
the change. In "Lucky", Scott murmurs the lines, "I'll move
with nothing left to prove to you, it's such a lucky time"
Midway through the album, the music and the lyrics
suggest redemption and once again comfort as he adjusts
to his new surroundings. As implied by the lyrics of "Fine
and Good." The song begins with the very optimistic
words, "things are good, nothing much for me to say
feeling happier everyday." The last quarter or so of the
album implies discontent, almost even failure. Such as in
"Deep Cut", a chaotic romp with lyrics like, "I feel like my
whole life is spent I don't know where I went."

But the implication of failure stops there, this record is a
definate success. With songs like, "What Can I Tell You,"
"Fine and Good," and the first single, "All the Kids Are
Right," "Pack Up the Cats" is a definate must-have for the
avid rock fan.

BRIAN: A

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