A Swedish swing outfit wants to share their socialist, feminist politics with you! If that doesn’t sound like a whole heap of fun, fear not—Cats and Dinosaurs have set their manifesto to brilliant music and even translated the 45-minute treatise into English. You’re welcome!
Established in 2014, this woke young collective of jovial jazz players achieved regional success touring two albums around Scandinavia. But their urge to change the world one solo at a time has prompted an English-language release, translating some of their top hits. The recording was funded by 205 Kickstarter backers, whose SEK 78,093 ($8,260) helped to produce The Shape of Swing to Come—out now as a digital download, CD, and vinyl record.
Expect to hear songs about gentrification, gender disparity, the refugee crisis, labor exploitation, and climate change, with lyrics taking a distinctly “anti-” stance in each case. That’s not to say that this disc is miserable—as Lindy hop dancers all, Cats and Dinosaurs want you to move to their liberal groove.
The album is a smorgasbord of familiar styles, running the gamut from Dixie to cool crooning via dirty blues and klezmer-tinged hot jazz. It employs an impressive array of instruments, with toy pianos and xylophones complementing the usual horns and strings. While this might sound twee, there’s nothing novelty about it—virtuosic solos abou
