Prairie Cat

Cary Pratt is one of Vancouver's busiest drummers, having lent his talents to the likes of Mounties' live lineup and Said the Whale recently, but he's now finally ready to release his first album in five years under the moniker Prairie Cat.Who Knows Where to Begin? is due out on August 5, and it's available to stream ahead of time on Exclaim.ca.

The album was recorded with Mounties/Limblifter member Ryan Dahle at Greenhouse Studios in Vancouver. The results expand on the quirkily bummed-out keyboard stylings of his past work by incorporating strings and guitars into the catchy pop arrangements.

Beginning with a tinkling music box, the opening title cut is a charming tale of romantic loss that sets the tone for the collection. "Got Nothin'" and "No Bedroom" are similarly bouncy in their melancholia, while "Bad Storm" and "Some Friends May Go" are more overtly mournful in their orchestrations.

This stream closes with the bonus cut "On a Lamb," an electronic pop number that was mixed with Hot Hot Heat leader Steve Bays as a last-minute inclusion.

Hear it all below. - Exclaim! Magazine

AUGUST 8, 2013 by LESLIE KEN CHU
Cary Pratt is no new cat on the block. The seasoned Vancouver drummer and percussionist has worked with a reputable list of groups and individuals, among them Jason Zumpano of Destroyer, Juno Award-winning producer Russell Broom and engineer Tom Dobranski whose credits include The Zolas, Said the Whale and Hannah Georgas. Most recently, Pratt has played in party-pushing Vancouver band Pineapple, and though his Got Nothin’ 7” is short, it’s all “Prairie Cat” needs to show that his debut solo outing is no amateur effort.
Got Nothin’ is a snug little release. But just because something is cozy doesn’t mean it’s a fluff piece. “I could say one or two mean things / Make you slap my face / It would really sting, but / I could say one or two nice things / Make you fall in love / Make you hit the sheets,” title track “Got Nothin’” goes. But Pratt isn’t projecting cockiness or even false confidence; he’s just being honest. More than that, he’s aware of his polar capabilities. But the gravity of such introspections is easy to miss, all wrapped up in warm melodies like a comforter.
Pratt’s awareness of his capabilities extends more widely to his skills as a musician. Even with such a short release (hardly more than ten minutes long), Pratt shows signs that he could do a lot more – or that he even possibly did a lot more. These three songs (not including the twenty-second “Outro”, more a descriptor than a song name – more a sonic blip than a song) could easily flourish into full-blown power-pop especially when they pick up speed. But Pratt decides to scale them back to near jingle simplicity. Rattles could easily take over the airily strummed “Beautiful Baby”, composed of a few loosely arranged tracks. But Pratt restrains just enough that the rattles don’t overshadow the song more than any other part.
“Some Friends May Go” is even more withheld. It’s so bare, I can see Pratt do little more than effortlessly jam out this concise little tune by himself and call it a day - Vancouver Weekly

The current "Catbird Podcast" features the piano/trumpet laced Grumpy Forever, but even more impressive is the pop ditty that greets you (Payin' the Rent) like a welcome mat with a clever slogan. It makes you smile and puts you in a good mood before you even walk inside. Pratt uses hand claps and a variation of keyboards/piano and if the demos he has streaming on the site are any indication (Don't Trust the Rust is another gem), this record should be a nice listen.

It should be noted that the timing of hearing Just Cuz is perfect. The Rhodes riff balances Pratt's quirky, double tracked vocals and as the tribute to the limited shelf life of summer love moves along happily, Cary states "summer's over… and so are we" and you want to reach for your rain, tighten the collar and start getting ready for another grey Vancouver winter.

Keep this on your radar and hopefully Pratt is going to play a few local shows soon.
MP3:: Grumpy - Herohill.com

Attacks! by Prairie Cat
By Adrian Mack
Prairie Cat

Attacks! (Fuzzy Logic)

Cary Pratt's voice is blunt and uncertain, making it as conspicuous inside these sunshiny pop tunes as a grown man in a diaper. That's no slam on Attacks!, though (or grown men in diapers, for that matter). This slight but charming debut comes from one of the more valuable players in Vancouver's music community. Pratt drums for Roger Dean Young and the Tin Cup, Montag, and Sparrow, but his solo concerns suggest a diet of the Fifth Dimension, '80s sitcom themes, and Ben Folds. Since Pratt plays almost everything on Attacks!, there's a certain scruffiness here that undercuts what might otherwise drift a little too close to twee. Song titles like "It's Good to Be You", "Grumpy Forever", and "King of Thunderbay" should give some indication of Pratt's love for appearing naive, but shrewd and colourful chord changes on each of these seven piano-based songs point to the work of a fully grown, classic pop boffin.

The same goes for the instrumentation and arrangements, which allow for glockenspiel, vibes, a whole lotta percussion, and a minimum of clutter. On the final track, "Payin' the Rent", Pratt introduces a cacophony of speaking voices, each one addressing matters both trivial and domestic, until it all ends with a crash and Pratt instructing the studio help that "It fades out at the end." Which it doesn't. Attacks! isn't exactly a face-grabber, but there's enough going on to make Prairie Cat well worth watching. Expect miracles by album three. - Georgia Straight

There is nothing I like more than getting a new CD and upon my first listen, trying to pick out the song that I would release as the first single. I call this game Record Industry Executive. I then call my girlfriend and as soon as she answers I simply say, “I smell a hit”, then hang up quickly, pretending that I just made a bunch of people rich.

The new Prairie Cat album came across my inbox a few weeks ago. Released on Fuzzy Logic I got pretty excited, because I pretty much adore everything Fuzzy Logic puts out (The Bicycles, Gravity Wave, Peter Project, Henri Faberge)

This album is a summery of Pratt’s last two years when followed his girlfriend across the country. When the relationship ended he found himself without a woman, next to no belongings, no recording equipment and he had lost the initial tracking for this album. Upon Pratt’s return Kelowna, BC, he managed to raise enough money to replace his gear and re-produce his original tracks.

In summary, this is a “Girl, you done me wrong” album. Most of the songs are cute enough, but never really get cranked up to the next level. I would classify this as a Sunday afternoon pop album. Not too rocking, but it certainly has some nice memorable moments. The stand out track would have to be Just Cuz. It is a simple, catchy, piano pop song. The last song, We Tried, complete with killer horns, is a suitable, heart felt ending to the album. You jazz heads out there will like it.

We Tried
We tried but we can’t be friends
More than we’ve always been
It’s best if you just go home
No more late nights on my phone
Cus then next thing you know
The drinks they’d start to flow
Then you’ll just start to lie to me

As I mentioned, there are some neat moments on the album, like the “lets pretend to be cool” break up conversation on It Began/Ended With Sparks and the party next door incident on Sun Away. It reminded me of the recent Teenagers album.

I’m looking forward to seeing Prairie Cat perform this album live. I suspect that the wide arrangement of instrumentation and querky subtleness of the songs would lend themselves to a totally enjoyable experience in an intimate venue. Check out Just Cuz below. I smell a hit! - Panic Manual

by Ryan Hemsworth
Article Tools

* Email a Friend
* Print
* Share
o Digg
o Newsvine
o del.icio.us
o Facebook
o Reddit
o Google Bookmarks
o MySpace
o Twitter
* Save this Story
Saving…
* Add to Custom List
Loading…
* Comments

prairiecats.jpg

*
*

Cary Pratt's Prairie Cat has stepped out of bedroom pop and into the world of pure pop. Ring-tone rappers and Rock Band rock stars may infest the industry, but Pratt has a formula that will save his soul, and his listeners' alike: have fun and stay human. Sparks is an album built up from two years of break-up recuperation---but is there any better source of creativity? A track like "Just Cuz" could make you cry if it didn't accept failure so cutely ("I'm over here now/you're over there now"), and "Get Off" could sound bitter if Pratt wasn't having such a good time singing away his sorrows.
- The Coast (Halifax)

If I simply mentioned a creative pop artist from BC that loved the triumphant sounds of rhodes piano, drums, vibes, glockenspiel, hand claps, guitar, bongos and bass, would you be interested? I think we both know the answer to that and I guess that's why I’m always a little surprised that more people don’t sing the praises of Cary Pratt – aka Prairie Cat. His Fuzzy Logic/Catbird (the hand painted jewel cases were top shelf) debut, got lost in the ether that is the music blog world, and to quote the great poet Monie Love, “it’s a shame.”

Hopefully, things change this time around.

Pratt is getting ready to release his follow up (update, I just found out it's pushed until January) and It Began/Ended With Sparks sounds like a tighter version of the pop filled goodness he offered up last time around. He still mixes piano and organ with horns, strings, driving drums and subtle textures, but I think the songs heartbeat comes from his quirky personality and the energy he infuses.

From the first vocals he throws over the piano intro on the opening number Just Cuz (that people might remember from the last effort), Pratt shows his charisma. The terrific booming horns and drums help the track grow, but his slightly skewed vocals control the pace and size of the song and own your ears. Pratt has all the skill of some of the more flamboyant piano men we all love; he just eschews their obsession with drama and theatre (although, We Tried shows he could easily settle into a more standard style).

It’s incredibly easy to settle into Given Up as it builds a warming collage of sounds - making it more tender than you could expect from an indie pop track with booming choruses - but for me, Prairie Cat really finds its niche on (the more organic) Cansecos-like numbers like Never Right and It Began/Ended With Sparks. The mix of synths and fuzz jump start the listen, and give the record a more modern feel but to be fair, Pratt constantly transitions the tone and mood of the record constantly. The swagger of Sun Away gives way to a more Latin feel on Sun Away, but both sides of the coin contrast the sunny disposition he offers up on Get Off, the spacey feel of Meanest Genius or the programmed rhythms of Won’t Change.

There’s not a bad track on this record, every one is instantly accessible and enjoyable, but the subtle layers really make you want to sit down alone with your headphones on, mining the tracks for hidden treasures. Do yourself a favor and take a chance on this artist. You won't be disappointed.
- Herohill.com

Prairie Cat @ Little Mountain Studios, 12/2/09
Yesterday, Cary Pratt released It Began/Ended with Sparks, his second album under the moniker Prairie Cat. To celebrate the occasion, the singer/keyboardist played an intimate set at Little Mountain Studios to a crowd of a few dozen friends and fans.

Pratt began the evening with an unreleased song, a heart-wrenching breakup ballad that he described as being about Scattergories. He was joined by backing musicians on cello and glockenspiel, their delicate arrangement perfectly suited to the poignant subject matter. For the rest of the set, Pratt was accompanied by a full band that included Bend Sinister’s Dan Moxon on guitar and Said the Whale’s Spencer Scnoening on drums. Pratt acted as conductor, shouting out cues (”Here it comes!”) and even turning around in his stool to give directions. The band sounded tight—an impressive feat considering that the players were assembled especially for the event—and the inclusion of a trumpet player meant that all the songs lived up to the lush studio versions.

Considering that the show was a CD release party, the set was surprisingly heavy on old material; Pratt played more songs from 2007’s Attacks! than he did the new disc, including a version of “Better Friends Than Lovers” during which he performed a syncopated cowbell solo. Of the new material, “Just Cuz” was the highlight, triumphant trumpet flourishes offsetting the sombre lyrics about a relationship past its expiration date.

Although the band had already played all the songs it rehearsed, Pratt & co. were called back for an encore, giving them the opportunity to perform the Attacks! favourite “Payin’ the Rent.” Despite the fact that the band hadn’t even planned on playing the song, it was still a remarkably clean version, its sudden build-ups and jazzy breakdowns all perfectly timed. If there had been any skeptics in attendance (which is unlikely, considering the crowd), it ensured that everyone went home knowing why Pratt is one of the city’s wittiest and most tuneful songwriters. - Chipped Hip

Prairie Cat

It Began/Ended With Sparks (Fuzzy Logic)

Breakup albums tend to be kind of a bummer. Almost all of the most famous examples—Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks, Beck’s Sea Change, Kanye West’s 808s & Heartbreak—are sombre affairs, favouring slow tempos and sentimental reflections on loneliness.

Nearly every song on Prairie Cat’s first full-length, It Began/Ended With Sparks, is about heartbreak, but it can’t be pigeonholed quite as easily as most albums of its kind. Singer-keyboardist Cary Pratt (Cary Pratt/Prairie Cat… Get it?) sings about the inevitability of romantic failure, but offsets his pessimism with poppy, upbeat arrangements. “Just Cuz” mourns the end of a relationship, but its bouncy piano and buoyant trumpets prevent it from ever sounding like a downer. The title track covers similarly bleak subject matter, but the mood is lifted by Technicolor synths and cascading guitars.

Even more significant than the arrangements, however, is the fact that Pratt never loses his sense of humour. “Never Right” plays its melancholy verses against a jokey chorus in which he quips “I treated her fairly/I treated her fairly badly.” The closing track, “We Tried”, is similarly punny, its refrain of “You can lie with me” eventually changing into “You can lie to me”.

Prairie Cat walks a fine line between depressing and goofy, and it’s therefore surprising that the album’s standout track is one of the only ones that have nothing to do with romantic failure. “Meanest Genius” is a song about unappreciated talent, a breezy organ groove with a devastating synth break that sounds like it was beamed in from outer space. It shows that, regardless of subject matter, Prairie Cat is one of the city’s most promising songwriters. - The Georgia Straight (Vancouver)

Prairie Cat - It Began/Ended With Sparks (CD, Fuzzy Logic Recordings, Pop)
When we first popped this l'il sucker out of the package our first guess was that this band was probably influenced by Ron and Russell Mael (Sparks). But closer scrutiny revealed that the album title has a completely different meaning. Prairie Cat is the solo band comprised of Vancouver, Canada's Cary Pratt. Prior to the recording of these tracks, Pratt had begun recording the album at which point his home burned and he lost most of his belongings (as well as the original tracks for the album)...plus he split up with his girlfriend. Rather than let circumstances ruin/rule his future, Cary decided to start again from scratch. The results...were well worth the effort. It Began/Ended With Sparks is an exceptionally rich and rewarding batch of keyboard driven pop that should please anyone who digs bands like Miniature Tigers and Gentleman Auction House (both of which are top faves here in babysueland). Pratt's tunes are bright, memorable, and direct...and he has a great voice for pop music. Ten killer tunes here including "Stay The Same," "Given Up," "Sun Away," and "We Tried." An easy and obvious TOP PICK.| - BabySue.com

Kelowna, B.C.'s Cary Pratt (a.k.a. Prairie Cat) has been injured by one or more failed relationships, and he's either convinced we'd be interested in the details or he has decided to use this album for catharsis.

Whichever the case, this smorgasbord of injury — punctuated by titles like "Given Up," "Never Right," "Won't Change" and "We Tried" — works. If Pratt had changed his singing to spoken word, this would nearly be an Arab Strap album (minus the filth).

Although he's cordial, Pratt is a rather frank lyricist — a quality that steers this album clear of the timid territory inhabited by the likes of ivory-ticklers Andrew Rodriguez and Royal Wood. There's no shortage of piano and strings on It Began/Ended With Sparks, but Pratt also has a way with brass and bouncing drums, putting his aesthetic on par with Toronto's Zeus.

By disc's end, you'll find you most remember "Sun Away," where Pratt complains about an upstairs party that goes until sunrise. He added a mock soundbite of said party, muffled by the supposed distance between it and him, which sounded so real I had to remove my headphones to see if it was happening in my apartment. - ChartAttack

(Fuzzy Logic)

Vancouver singer-songwriter Cary Pratt (get it?) has the goods for tugging the heart strings. That much is clear when listening to It Began/Ended With Sparks, a break-up record in the clearest sense. The lack of subtly makes for occasional lyrical clunkers (the less said about the spoken word passage in “Just Cuz,” the better), but matched with Pratt’s plain vocals, the simple wordplay works to the album’s advantage.

It also helps when no two songs sound quite the same, despite an album’s musical cohesion—think of Fiery Furnaces without the interest in prog rock or surrealist lyrics. Rhythms are spry and varied, musical backings range from slacker dirges to sunny popscapes, and somehow it generally holds up. Whether or not Pratt requires another sour relationship to create more music remains to be seen, but this record shows promise.

— ANDREW ROBINSON - The Coast (Halifax)