Sometimes you need to step outside of your comfort zone, feel the curious warmth of the unusual engulf you and surrender to all of the weird wonderfulness that lies just beyond the gateway leading to the unknown. Paul Catten, ex-Medulla Nocte frontman and the former leader of a veritable host of other underground legends, was one of the first to undertake that journey and venture into the unexplored and uncharted sonic wilderness and he’s, with his many wide and varied musical ventures, been holding the door open to and inviting everyone to join him in for longer than either he, or I, probably care to remember.

Catten’s world revolves around a simple mantra, “Expect the unexpected”, and this time, with The Beauty of Decay, he’s far exceeded all of my, admittedly, limited ideas and assumptions. A gorgeous, haunting and beguiling collection of dark, slightly experimental and contagious pop infused songs that linger somewhere between the dying embers of the first wave of Goth and Nick Cave and the Bad Seed’s formative years and drink heavily from the well of Mike Patton’s creative madness, The Beauty of Decay is Catten’s most immediate, appealing and challenging album yet, making it the perfect vessel to set sail for his peculiar shores in.   Pack your bags, kiss your loved ones goodbye and embrace the strange…   Tim Cundle

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