Cat Temper : From A Whisker To A Scream

Mike Langlie is a fan of the feline persuasion. His long-running musical project Cat Temper proves as much. From the album art, to the song titles, to yes even the project name it is quite apparent that Langlie loves cats. Cats might just be his muse that spurs his creativity. But don’t think for a minute that Cat Temper is a novelty act. You’d be sorely mistaken and if you’ve avoided listening to a Cat Temper album up to this point thinking as much then you don’t know what you’re missing out on.

I’m here to tell you exactly what you are missing out on.

Since 2019 Langlie has been releasing excellent synth/electronic-heavy records as Cat Temper. Titles like Purring For Vengeance, Something Whiskered This Way Comes, More Than A Feline, and Kitty Hate Machine pay tribute to the classics, but make no mistake there’s nothing cheeky about Cat Temper’s musical world. Everything from synth pop to industrial to headier realms of electronic music are here, and offer up a musical cat nip to music and audiophiles everywhere.

Langlie and Cat Temper’s latest is called From A Whisker To A Scream and is inspired by the works of Tangerine Dream, Klaus Schulze, and Jean-Michel Jarre. Big, melodic soundscapes with touches of dreamy melodies laid over top for a stunning 36 minutes of synth/electronic music.

My first exposure to Cat Temper was Langlie’s re-imagining of the soundtrack to Eraserhead. I mean, it wasn’t really a re-imagining since Lynch’s original score was whispery, industrial noise and that eerie-but-beautiful song “In Heaven”. Langlie wrote something completely new, inspired by countless viewings of David Lynch’s debut film(not counting his amazing short films which preceded it.) I was blown away by the attention to detail and the engaging sound world Langlie created. I’ve been following Cat Temper ever since.

From A Whisker To A Scream is right up my alley. Beautiful synth melodies with a driving, urgent propulsion behind each of the ten tracks. “Turn Of The Tail” shows up halfway thru and has big, billowing synth melodies over a driving, rhythmic pulse. I am reminded of 80s Froese here, with his more melody-driven score work than the heady, stoned indifference of something like Phaedra or Rubycon. “Catinuum” is more synth-pop driven, with a big percussive beat reminiscent of Com Truise.

Throughout the record Langlie gives us ear hook after ear hook, and also some truly contemplative moments that put me in mind of someone like Cory Kilduff and his great 2019 album When It All Gets To Be Too Much. “Force Meowjeure” has that quiet melancholy that locks you into the slow-burning desperation of those early 80s teen movies. The broken heart, the loss of hope, and the need for connection comes out in this great track. “Remote Mewing” has an almost 8-bit analog feel, like the work of the great musician/film composer Wojciech Golczewski. Urgency and resigned acceptance come thru.

Of course opener “Across The Stratosfur” brings the greats into focus immediately. Tangerine Dream and Jean-Michel Jarre vibes abound, with even touches of Rob’s excellent Maniac score for good measure.

From A Whisker To A Scream is an engaging and lovely experience from start to finish. Vintage vibes and nostalgia echoes throughout. Never derivative, and every moment you relish. If 70s Berlin School and 80s lush synth pop get you going, Cat Temper has you covered here. And once you’re hooked, take the dive into Cat Temper’s musical world. You’ll be glad you did. Langlie proves you can have fun, while still taking your work seriously.