International Velvet - Catatonia

One of the most critically acclaimed albums of the 1998, it recieved nominations for the Technics Mercury Music Prize and the Brit Awards, but won neither. Was it hard done by or simply over-rated? The title derives from a movie, and the first song is called 'Mulder and Scully', it would be easy to think this was going to be an album about the current state of affairs of television, and track two, 'Game On' nearly confirms my suspicions (a mediocre sitcom with Samantha Janus from BBC2). But what the hell am I doing critically analysing the titles of the songs, it’s the quality of the music that ultimately counts, and the first two ...  Read the complete review

I LOVE this album! I bought it because I fell in love with Mulder and Scully, one of my favourite songs of all time. Cerys' voice is so distinctive and rich ( please ignore the terrible croaky cover she did of "Baby it's cold outside" with Tom Jones!), and the music is excellent. Some of the songs like Strange Glue, Don't need the sunshine and My Selfish Gene will haunt you for days. Every single song on this album is catchy and melodious. The only weak link is I don't like one night stands, which is not as strong musically. Vocally, Cerys' welsh accent is beautiful, but occasionally makes the lyrics unintelligible. It ...  Read the complete review

Listening to 'International Velvet' is like drifting through somebody's brain; it's full of modern references, thoughts on everyday life and raw emotion. 'Mulder and Scully' has often been described as a 'novelty' song due to its X-Files reference and upbeat tempo, however it's actually much more than this. It examines the internal struggle between wanting to be loved and wanting to be free and single. A lot of the songs on the album have this hidden depth which makes them so powerful, accessable and real. The songs are varied and cover a wide emotional range. Songs like 'I Am The Mob' and the title track are ...  Read the complete review

Well what can i say she has the best voice, the looks and a fantastic album. What else can you say, she amazing the album has songs from a song in welsh to one done with Tom Jones she has performed in many places including party in the park only last week. If all you want to do it sit and relax chill out with a pint then play this indie Chick music to get you in the mood. ...  Read the complete review

I only really first got catatonia - international velvet because what i really wanted ( Beautiful South - Quench) wasn't available in the shops. Now, i'm glad it wasn't. I had never really listened to any other catatonia songs except Road rage and mulder and Scully which my local radio station played at least once an hour. The best track is definatly number 10 ; Don't need the sunshine. And the worst...well to be honest there isn't a worst. The only real fault with some of the songs is that they go on just a bit too long, and International velvet, the song isn't all that good if you can't understand welsh! ...  Read the complete review