Elizabeth and the Catapult: Far Off in the Distance There Lies a Band

Duke Ellington once said, “There are two kinds of music. Good music, and the other kind.” He always felt his music was too organic and too free to fit in clear cut categories with trendy sounding names. In an industry where labeling one's sound is all but essential, in comes Elizabeth and the Catapult, a band who prefers to be told what genre they fit into since they have trouble figuring it out for themselves. To these graduates of Berklee School of Music in Boston, the whole affair is pretty funny, almost like an inside joke between them and the Duke. After hearing their debut album for the first time, I quickly realized the joke is on the industry.

Open Media Boston recently spoke with Elizabeth Ziman (lead vocals, piano) about her band's experience recording their self titled EP, as well as the upcoming full length album tentatively due in April 2009. Since entering the studio for the follow up record, Ziman said she and her band mates, Pete Lalish on guitar and Dan Molad on drums, almost preferred their previous choice of venue for the EP: the living room, hallways, and bathrooms of Molad's house in Brooklyn. “We were always very precise in getting the sound we want. Dan had me sing all my parts in the bathroom to get a natural reverb. It was all very organic,” Ziman reminisced.

With the EP already named one of the best albums of 2006 by NPR’s New York City radio station WFUV, E & the C are well positioned to enter phase two of their master plan for world domination. They're ready to wage war on all things dull, lifeless and mediocre with songs epitomizing the essence of Pop, or Avant Garde Pop, or Intelligent Pop, or Jazz, or Classical Impressionism, or Rock… I’ll stick with the Duke: Good music, problem solved.
 
Waiting for the Kill begins with one of the most hip, upright baselines I’ve ever heard, right up there with Mingus and Miles. A powerhouse opener that’s also in an odd time signature, 10/8 I think, draws comparisons to the likes of Radiohead and Tool, and they could only pull it off on their fourth albums. Then there’s Ziman giving her disclaimer that she’s “just a good good girl with a troubled mind,” which for me translates to an enter at own risk sign outside of a fastidiously well kept Victorian house. So far so good.

Listen to "Waiting for the Kill."

 
Right Next to You is warm, tender, romantic and strangely eerie. Amid the pretty trumpet sound and lush background vocals is a world where “the sky is falling” just outside your house, where the comfort and solace of a loving relationship is the only stable thing to depend on: “I read the news today oh, boy. What a time this is. Tears me up to think of all we’re losing. It seems the only thing that I can trust in this whole world is that I’ll be right next to you.” Ziman said the nod to the Beatles' “Day in the Life” is “not meant to be a cross cultural reference to the sixties, although that is a half truth.”
 
Momma’s Boy requires a special caveat before listening, particularly for men. When Ziman sings of tough guys “looking for a bed to recover on” after they’ve been out and about acting tough, the trick is to completely deny that she is referring to you. Ziman acknowledged to me that “everyone has a little Momma’s Boy in their personalities, even women.” Still, denial works wonders when applied correctly. This song also doubles as a Valentine’s Day Gift.

My Goodbye is the resident magnum opus, the masterwork from the masterminds. Don’t expect that on the first listen though or you’ll likely be disappointed. This track has potential that can only be fully unlocked through repeated listening. The meticulously crafted string arrangements, the haunted piano, the quiet melodica at the end, none of these registered with me until at least the fourth time through, and it was well worth it. Put another way, “sometimes it’s hard to shut your eyes to all you know” where, for this review, I’d substitute “ears.”
 
Devil’s Calling was written by Ziman when she was eighteen—one of her first songs. Playing the role of Lucifer, she lures the better angel of her nature (not to mention the listener) to a place where morals, values and good intentions are all fruitless endeavors, what she calls the “other side.” This is the kind of song Darth Vader would sing to Luke Skywalker in “The Empire Strikes Back:” a plea to let go of all guilt-induced, moralistic inhibitions and just “live in your own skin” the way only the devil can. This song was featured as a live performance on YMC TV.

Golden Ink. “They say it’s easy to forget your calling, when you’re used to being tossed aside. But I can't stand the thought of ever losing all that beauty I once promised never to let go.” Seemingly from within a dream, with both Molad and Lalish strumming sweetly on acoustic guitars, Ziman laments on the creative limitations facing every artist,  keeping “the muses smiling” and never running low on sonic gold. This song is my personal favorite.

Listen to "Golden Ink."

 
Since finishing this mini masterpiece, Elizabeth and the Catapult have gone on to record 25 songs for the new record. One highlight would undoubtedly be Tell Me in the Morning, the video featured above, for anyone confused by the subtitle of this article. With a tour of the Boston area very likely in the near future, this is the perfect time for serious music fans to do their homework.
 
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