Weekly Release Spotlight: Free Kitten
Posted on 6/08/2008
Free Kitten
Inherit
[Ecstatic Peace]
Riot grrrl and slacker ethic have never typically gone hand in hand. Then again, neither term has been widely attributed to Kim Gordon either. The iconic female figure behind Sonic Youth and, now for the first time in eleven years, Free Kitten (along with former Pussy Galore shredder Julia Cafritz and percussionist extraordinaire Yoshimi of Boredoms) has always projected a more aggressive and gender neutral self-image. Truth is, however, Kim's signature half-creeptastic half-falling asleep vocal technique, combined with her scuzzed out to infinity bass and guitar technique, has treaded the middle ground between these two ends of the DIY spectrum ever since her more legendary band teenage daydreamed into cult stardom.
The three ferociously mellow women's careers are surely enough to reel in enough interested fans to the third Free Kitten record, but if you needed another reason, Dinosaur Jr.'s (not to mention countless other notable projects) J. Mascis also shows up to frolic around maniacally with guitar pedals and snare hits on a few tracks. Add Mark Ibold, of Pavement, to Free Kitten's list of past accomplices and you practically have the indie portion of the 90s Lollapalooza reboot lineup covered in the band's brief three album (plus a singles compilation) discography. When stripped of all the namedropping and wallowing in the past, though, Inherit remains a distinctly carefree effort: with only a basic rock set-up, the threesome manages to exercise everything from noisy punk anthems to jagged experimentals to elongated tribal jams, often combining these styles for the utmost effect.
At their catchiest and most immediately satisfying, "Seasick" still writhes and flops around like a gutted fish. The album's longest and most portentous track, "Monster Eye," does feel endless at times, but it never bores, always paying attention to the need for noise and tempo (seemingly letting Yoshimi's talents shine). "Help Me" tricks the listener with almost half its 1:46 runtime drowning in lo-fi obscurity until it jolts into high gear with a fearless screw-all attitude, with studio quality volume to boot. Even when songs like the jump-starting "Erected Girl" and "The Poet" indeed recall (some have claimed redundancy) the almighty SY at their most straight-forward and Kim-centric, Cafritz and Yoshimi shrewdly inject an undeniable sense of blissed-out anger that enforces Free Kitten's unique slackrrr girl aesthetic. SY will always prevail in popularity, but Gordon deserves an alternate outlet, as do the other able-bodied influential musicians that make up Free Kitten.
Stream: Free Kitten - Sea Sick
Written by Chris Polley, Radio K volunteer and host of Now Like Photographs.