Digging Up Bones
The Multiple Cat
The Secret of the Secret of the Multiple Cat
(May 16, 2006 – Futureappletree)

“Hey, Review Guy! Why ya favoring a 16-song record, when you’ve pouted and whined about lengthy albums in the past?”

Well hold on a second, smartass; this one’s an anthology, so it’s okay.

Comprised mostly of ‘90s releases, The Secret Of The Secret Of The Multiple Cat explores the musical mind of one Patrick B. Stolley, a self-described “recordist” from Iowa. After The Multiple Cat, Stolley reappeared with The Marlboro Chorus. He’s now running his own studio, Future Appletree Too, in Davenport.

Lusciously out of focus, this collection is perfect for the indie pop historian with attention deficit disorder. Pop progressions from the 70s play tag with new wave rhythms and disco bass lines. There’s pure pop here, punk there. Jazzy chord inversions brush against an occasional acoustic strum, while real horns fight it out with a plethora of guitar textures. I can see Marsha Brady dancing with herself in the mirror as the lightly funky strains of “Nineteen Ten” waft from the beige plastic radio (perched knowingly) on her nightstand.

The temptation is to start listing “sound-a-likes.” But that list could go on for a couple of columns and not do justice. Better to leave it at this: If you gorged yourself on indie pop in the 90s, then what’s a pound to an elephant? Go ahead; enjoy another 16 pieces of indie ear candy, you’ll love yourself in the morning.


Patrick Stolley on Myspace

Future Appletree

JH