SOMETHING FOR KATE 
The Official Fiction (Sony)
Beat Magazine, ???

There is something about Something For Kate’s reputation that baffles me. The fact that even their own fans claim their albums need repeat listens to be absorbed is astonishing. On their fourth album, The Official Fiction, Something For Kate deliver on the stunning promise of their breakthrough Echolalia. However, what is most emphatic is that like Echolalia, The Official Fiction presents a sound that is both passionate and immediate.

Something For Kate themselves willingly admit that they have evolved their sound significantly. Not coincidently, the band has gone again with the talents of co-producer from Echolalia, Trina Shoemaker. 

The most prevalent songwriting technique here is a subtle lyrical outlook. Dempsey’s lyrics may be thought provoking or even controversial but most of all they are open to interpretation. Namely, the words paint a concept but do not state the obvious. Take for example a track like Asleep At The Wheel, with its emphatic declaration that “No one says anything”. It relates to the willingness of people to turn a blind eye. Perhaps this is related to the complacent Australian public that has re-elected a fucked up Federal government three times over? 

Elsewhere SFK show they are still not a fan of the nine-to-five thing or the money hungry people that drive that aesthetic. The stunning Best Weapon testifies to this: “Stripes and suits pushing the numbers through/they treat them like they don’t exist/they count them up like the matchsticks.”

The Official Fiction is categorically not just the best of Marx and Chomsky. It is a compassionate, yet honest glimpse of a nation and world which continues to be perpetually inequitable for all. 

Some have argued that Fiction acts as a blueprint to get on US rock radio. Conversely, this is in fact a band mastering their sound, perfecting their art and moving towards the creative peak of their careers. Here in 2003 we find ourselves in a country where we are experiencing less and less freedom of speech in all forms of media and art. A band like Something For Kate, signed to a major label, creating musically accessible songs that deliver thought-provoking lyrics is surely to be treasured. 

ANDREW MURFETT