"These are the days I'll miss when I'm gone

the sunny ones I wish I could save.

As long as there is beauty above me

I'll be homesick from the grave."

And so writes Larry Levy in the title track which appears last on the cd - and anti-title track to be sure. Is this the measure of a good life? Yes! But how would one know? The desire to look back on life from the perspective of the dead is a paradoxical one. Obviously the process is speculative as the experience has yet to happen.

Levy claims part of the idea came from an old "Get Smart" episode when Max, agent 86, fakes his own funeral and waits in the wings to see how people react. Levy does not paint a rosy picture of life to say the least. He does not take us on a melodramatic journey from the cradle to the grave but instead begins life at the bar.

Swizzle Stick shows us a desperate type staring into his drink with a strange focus and attraction

to the object who stirs his drink. The swizzle stick is seen here as an erotic figure. We feel the pain and frustration of rejected advances which has led many a poor soul to the bar to drown in self-pity.

Ghosts: The journey continues from alcoholic spirits to imaginary spirits, the likely outcome of too much drink. But there is something else going on here. Cat's vocals hint at something other than rejection and frustration. Levy claims the idea for this song came from an old poem he wrote years ago inspired by one of his favorite playwrights, Henrik Ibsen. 

Mood Swinger: A great title! According to Cat, the song can be summed up in one line, "We used to be swingers, now we are mood swingers." I'll leave it up to you listeners to decipher the code but for me this song is all about lack of personal boundaries and poor impulse control.

Which leads us into the dark, scary world of mania. I Can't Remember When I Died is a frightening piece and is the first and only song where Larry's voice appears. It is to be sure a near-death experience and since both voices are in harmony, one must assume a shared experience? Done in spoken word and then building to a nostalgic climax in major chords, the song vacillates between the dark and the light.

Sirena breaks up the CD and definitely allows sunshine into an otherwise dark existence. Cat's beautiful lilting "la la's" and the minimalist guitar work are a pleasant change and foreshadow the sunny days one will truly miss when gone. A beauty!

Constantly is a sad but beautiful song again minimal in it's innocence. The focal point here is the window and the lost love that passes before the viewer's eyes. The repetition done with "boxed" effect works tos enforce the obsession and anger the insider is forced to see and recall.

Shadow (Cat's Song) is simply about a shy, introverted girl who spent most of her childhood alone and forsaken. Her creativity is not realized or appreciated and despite all outward appearances is truly a heartbroken girl. Very pretty with great harmonies by Cat.

You puts us right back into obsession. Dark and foreboding, the ominous guitar and minimal but suicidal embraced lyrics, tell the tale of a profoundly ill individual. The clock ticks, pounds, and is relentless. One can see the sweaty, agitated brow of someone caught in the Twilight Zone.

Girl In A Cube is Cat's favorite tune. I can see why. Her vocals are wonderful. The song moves without stop and varying only slightly when it hits the chorus running. The song is peppered with a few unusual chords and the ambience of the 12-string strum does not let the listener off the hook. So who is the girl in a cube?

Can't Sleep is probably this writer's favorite tune. Ironically, it is the only instrumental song on the CD. Anyone who has been troubled with insomnia and the crazy thoughts that go with lying prone, eyes wide open, agitated and restless, will be able to relate. In fact, I haven't slept well since I heard this song. The strange time signature, the pacing steps, and the flickering candle-like trip between the dark passionate chords and the culminating picked notes is convincing as it is powerful.

Homesick From The Grave takes us full circle and drops us off face up staring back at the world we just departed. A strange trip indeed. The fact that one can snap one's fingers and whistle into oblivion lightens the burden of death.

At this point I want to re listen to all the songs, to relive what I have just experienced. I think this is what Levy wants us to do; to come full circle, so in a strange way the CD never ends and maybe the few seconds of Cat's laughter at the end makes this happen. I guess it's time for me to retrace my aural steps..............

Frankie Sar