Inside No. 9, Episode #7 (part two): My Cat is an Alien – Branches soaked with memory 2004-2015
I discovered My Cat is an Alien (MCIAA) via an issue of The Wire magazine back in the mid-00s. I was drawn to the stories of their Western Alps studio and homemade toy instruments. My love for them grew as I saw them live (at ATP in 2006) and listened to them collaborate with experimental music legends like Loren Connors, Sonic Youth, and Jackie O Motherfucker. My journey into DIY and improvised music took root in the mid-00s, and these brothers led the way. I have bought and sold (out of financial desperation) many an MCIAA record over the years. Their narrative is alien sound, but the sonic dreamworks they create are singularly human and invoke primitive landscapes riddled with playfulness and a willingness to embrace the creative present. Every recording is a moment in time, and they have a rare talent for capturing the magic of improv in an unpretentious and illuminating way. The sounds are always bound for outer space but are rooted in the mountainside.
Having a discography that runs into the hundreds can be offputting, but like Jim O’Rourke and Makoto Kawabata, theirs is an obsession of performance and recording the journey of creativity. They showcase experiments, warts and all, giving the listener a chance to plug into a place in time different to their own. They help remove time and forge music that exists somewhere else entirely.
MCIAA hit peak brilliance on their most recent LP, Music For Phantoms (IV), which I haven’t included here as it is on a previous mix. I have included some of my favorite records of theirs from my collection. As always, sounds are recorded from vinyl, so may contain surface noise.
Peak One
My Cat is an Alien
Greetings From The Great Void Pt. 2
2006
Peak Two
My Cat is an Alien
Postludio
2012
Peak Three
My Cat is an Alien
Section III
2006
Peak Four
Roberto Opalio
The Hexagram On Grace, Part One
2010
Peak Five
My Cat is an Alien
Different Shades Of Blue
2004
Peak Six
Praxinoscope
Praxinoscope
2005
Peak Seven
My Cat is an Alien
The Dance Of Oneirism
2015
Peak Eight
My Cat is an Alien
Everything Waves Like Cosmic Debris
2007
Peak Nine
My Cat Is An Alien & Bjerga / Iversen
Untitled
2010
(recorded at 45rpm. No idea if this is correct, but I prefer it at this speed!)
Inside No. 9 is an attempt to share unique narratives through the mixing of 9 songs. Every episode will showcase a new theme, opening up new tributaries of discovery. Inside No. 9 is presented by Peter Taylor, a former features writer for Foxy Digitalis from back in the late 2000s. Peter is a visual artist and musician and has been creating music as MAbH since 2008.
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