On 15 August 2003 Something for Kate issued their fourth studio album , '' The Official Fiction '' , which is their first number-one album . It was produced by Shoemaker at Mangrove Studios , again . Lawrence opined that it " is the perfect soundtrack to the inevitable self-indulgent melancholy I 'll be suffering/enjoying for the next few days/weeks/months . The precisely structured chord progressions , creative arrangements and insightful lyrics are already weaving their magic and cultivating the warm gloom of loss . " He noticed that " Dempsey 's voice is instantly recognisable and familiar as he tells the stories that have become a feature of SFK 's unique lyrical content " while " Hyndman 's drumming is far from conservative , offering oddly but deftly placed accents and a beat that fights the sugar-sweet melodies to provide a much-needed edge . " '' The Sydney Morning Herald '' s Bernard Zuel acknowledged that the group are " one of our biggest bands . They have a large and devoted following , consistently earn complimentary reviews from local critics and win national awards . " However , he found that " they are a very ordinary band , one with a stunted vision and a limited palette , condemned to circle the same small patch of musical ground . " Specifically Zuel felt that " Excessive ordinariness is good enough for Something for Kate " where " Dempsey is a songwriter who mistakes earnestness for depth and sonorousness for meaning ... the group need someone to say it 's not good enough – go back , push harder . " The first two singles from the album were " Déjà Vu " ( July 2003 ) , which peaked at No . 19 , and " Song for a Sleepwalker " ( October ) , which reached the top 40 . At the ARIA Music Awards of 2003 SFK received four nominations : Album of the Year , Best Group , Best Rock Album and Best Cover Art ( by Ashworth and Dave Horner ) for '' The Official Fiction '' . It was certified gold by the end of that year . On the Triple J Hottest 100 , 2003 , " Déjà Vu " was listed at No . 11 and " Song for a Sleepwalker " at No . 63 ; '' Official Fiction '' was listed at No . 6 on the Top 10 Albums of 2003 . Ashworth described the group , " We 're an album band not a singles band . We write albums and then the record company picks whatever they want to be the single . That 's what 's really difficult . So for you , you might get a very one-sided idea of what a band 's like and then you put the album on and you go : ' Oh , I did n't realize they had this side . ' That 's where I think singles are a real fucker . I do n't like it . " '' Desert Lights '' , their fifth studio album ( 1 June 2006 ) also topped the charts – their second number-one album . It was certified gold status within a month of its release . They had recorded it over four months in Los Angeles with Brad Wood ( Ben Lee , the Smashing Pumpkins , Liz Phair ) . Dempsey had started working on lyrics for it in the previous year , " Writing this record was difficult . But at the end of it , I 've never been happier . " Stephanie McDonald of FasterLouder felt its " sound has moved from one of raw , hard rock to something a lot more melodic with pop appeal ... the group combines both those elements into something truly inspirational . " " Cigarettes and Suitcases " , the lead single , was released in May 2006 , which reached No . 23 , while the follow up single , " Oh Kamikaze " , appeared in September and reached the top 40 . Rob Smith of '' The Dwarf '' felt that the first single " is SFK at their typical alternative rock best , blending a catchy and melodious chorus with constant beats and a use of light and heavy guitar work . The second single ' Oh , Kamikaze ' is a more upbeat number one might almost be able to dance to , if one could dance that is . " A compilation 2 × CD album , '' The Murmur Years '' , was released on 18 August 2007 with one new song , " The Futurist " . According to Nimmervoll " Notwithstanding a couple of one-off reunion shows for their ever-loyal following Something for Kate went into hiatus while their leader concentrated on writing for a solo album . " They issued a limited edition 16-track live album , '' Live at the Corner '' , as an " artist-controlled bootleg " , capturing the sound of the band on stage on 23 February 2008 at the Corner Hotel in Richmond
ARIA Music Awards of 2003
ARIA Music Awards of 2003
Something for Kate