[Moshe]

Free Kitten
Inherit [Ecstatic Peace; 2008]
Rating: 5.7

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl.../50830-inherit


Whenever the alt-world supergroup Free Kitten (Sonic Youth's Kim Gordon and Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz, in conjunction with various pals, including Boredoms drummer Yoshimi P-We, Pavement bassist Mark Ibold, and DJ Spooky) took to the recording studio, anything and everything was fair game-- obnoxious atonal guitar screeds, off-kilter hook-laden pop, awkward rock-based hip-hop, shimmering Serge Gainsbourg covers. The one constant in Free Kitten's plan of attack was their maddening inconsistency, both in style and in quality-- single tracks might knock your socks off, but the breadth and length of their three albums (two full-lengths, one singles compilation) aren't for the faint of heart. While Inherit is Free Kitten's first album in over 10 years, that aspect of the group sadly hasn't changed.

This time around (with the three lovely ladies getting J Mascis to join the fun on a few tunes), they trade their scattershot genre-hopping for a more concise two-pronged approach. The majority of the album-- eight track's worth-- is taken up by Gordon-fronted expansive blissed-out meanderings one tends to expect on proper Sonic Youth albums from Thurston Moore or Lee Ranaldo. Whether the group takes the scenic route (as on the 11-minute "Monster Eye") or plots a more direct course (via the ominous tribal throb of "Billboard"), it's in no rush to reach its destination. Instead, it luxuriates in waves of feedback and mildly propulsive percussion-- even Mascis' squealing contributions to "Surf's Up" do little to up the energy level. This approach works just fine when Gordon's indomitable singing voice is treated as just another piece of the reverb-drenched scenery, as on album closer "Sway" or the shamanistic "Free Kitten on the Mountain". When she actually speaks her mind, however, things don't go so well-- her spoken-word guitar-hero tribute at the end of the otherwise enjoyable "Monster Eye" is chock-full of hollow portent and leaden poetics ("he starts doing surgery...then he starts strumming slowly") , while the lame lit-centric jabs in "The Poet" ("The New York school/ It's made of dicks") recall Dirty-era Gordon at her laziest.

Those jonesing for a high-quality emulation of those halcyon days need look no further than the four Inherit tracks fronted by Cafritz. Her tunes are full of invigorating piss and vinegar, be they centered around sing-songy rhymes (like "Seasick") or hit-and-run punches powered by Yoshimi's best Steve Shelley imitation (like "Roughshod" or "Help Me"). The dodgiest of her four efforts is "Bananas", an irony-powered pile of sludge (with Mascis on the skins) whose braindead rhetoric ("Monkey see/ Monkey do/ Hello monkey/ I see you") is either brilliantly stupid or the sort of nonsense that makes one seriously reconsider intelligent design. Still, a full album of these rave-ups would be welcome. As would be a full album of Gordon making the skronky granola scene (with the hope that she either chooses her words more carefully, or opts to speak softly). Unfortunately, Inherit tries to give the listener both of these great tastes at once, resulting in a combination that's less like chocolate and peanut butter, and more like toothpaste and orange juice.

-David Raposa, May 23, 2008

[koolthing78]

At what point does Kim say "he starts doing surgery"? I don't hear that. And I love the spoken word part, "hollow portent" and all. Actually, the whole song is fantastic, and gets better with every listen.

[stu666]

this is up on dime now,

FREE KITTEN (Kim Gordon/Julie Cafritz) Hollywood Palladium April 30 1993 Analog Master FLAC completists only by ijwthstd

there must be some more old live Kitten out there, please can anyone share more?

[andrei]

Originally Posted by stu666

there must be some more old live Kitten out there, please can anyone share more?

I'd second that. This is the only Kitten show i've seen around, and the quality is not that good at all.
I'm sure there are other recordings out there. If there is anyone who doesn't do torrents and wants to trade em, PM me and i'll send my list. And if the things will work well, i'll gladly up them to Dime.

[greedrex]

Originally Posted by Moshe

Unfortunately, Inherit tries to give the listener both of these great tastes at once, resulting in a combination that's less like chocolate and peanut butter, and more like toothpaste and orange juice.

-David Raposa, May 23, 2008

ha ha ha luv Pitchfuck media

[greedrex]

actually i kind of agree with that dude

[auto-aim]

I like the seasick song i've heard... havent had the money to purchase it though. I haven't got any free kitten - would it be advisable to seek out Nice Ass before this?

[koolthing78]

Not owning "Nice Ass," I figured I should at least give it a quick cursory listen (via Amazon's 30-sec previews) before I launched into a blatantly one-sided response in favor of "Inherit." Having done that, I would say that it depends on what kind of Free Kitten stuff (or music in general) you prefer. If you like the "Seasick" song, you may want to go with "Nice Ass," because that sounded like it had more "structured" songs, with a fun, cheeky vibe (I love that line in "Proper Rock Band" (or whatever it's called): "Our guitars are always in tune / European tour starts in June"). That being said, the songs on that album sounded (upon brief listen) to be more punky and angular, whereas some might say "Seasick" is actually quite pretty. So if it's the "pretty" you like, then it's still hard to say. But let me just expand upon (some of) what I love about "Inherit." In the Ecstatic Peace promo, it kept talking about how this music was the embodiment of truth and honesty, and I totally see what they mean. It's not just the lyrics, though; it's the music itself. The wandering, experimental sound of many of the songs mask the underlying melodies and structures, especially on "Monster Eye" (which is worth the price of the cd in itself (and then some)). Upon first listen--at least to me--it sounded very loose and unstructured, just kind of whimsically meandering about. But the more you listen to it, the more the details start to pop out, grab your attention, and then an underlying structure--a real "A B A B C" etc. structure--does start to emerge, brilliant in its subtlety. I think this is what they were talking about, about the music not being a "movie lie" where the best parts are cut and pasted to make it easy to follow, yet sacrificing the authenticity inherent to the little details. To me, the music sounds like life--the beauty is there, but it's up to you to find it. So in my opinion, this album is absolutely essential. But if you are more interested in "songs," "Nice Ass" would also be an excellent choice (and after hearing the samples, I'm probably going to get it myself). ("Sentimental Education" is a great transition album between these two, with more "songs" than "Inherit," but its fair share of more experimental sounds (most notably the title track, which is just phenomenal, for many of the same reasons I cream over "Monster Eye."))

[PAULYBEE2656]

i have one question....

where the fuck is my signed cd copy newbury comics?????? its been over the 10 day period now!

[marleypumpkin]

Originally Posted by PAULYBEE2656

i have one question....

where the fuck is my signed cd copy newbury comics?????? its been over the 10 day period now!

I know what you mean, I got my copy today fortunately, but if you e-mail their customer service & ask for a tracking number, they'll send ya' one.

It sounds spectacular if I may say so.

[stu666]

Originally Posted by PAULYBEE2656

i have one question....

where the fuck is my signed cd copy newbury comics?????? its been over the 10 day period now!

i'm still waiting for mine too

[noisereductions]

I'm rather disappointed with the album.

[DNAINTHEDNA]

i really like this record, a lot. the last 3 tracks are awesome

[Moshe]

http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/articl...st-free-kitten

[Moshe]

Rock-A-Rolla interview:

Part 1

Part 2

[Kegmama]

Nice. Thanks Moshe!