Miss Kittin – I Com – Review

Miss Kittin

I Com (Astralwerks)
by Michael McCarthy

Miss Kittin & The Hacker’s First Album was a genre-defining disc. That genre, of course, would be electroclash. You could argue that it was merely a subgenre-defining disc, but there’s no denying that it was to electroclash what Goldie’s Timeless was to jungle. Still, tracks like the titillating “Frank Sinatra” made one wonder if they weren’t merely a novelty act, and if Miss Kittin wasn’t merely the voice. She likely felt she had a lot to ponder and prove when she began work on I Com, her first solo album, and it’s quite an achievement. She co-produced most of the disc with Tobi Neumann and Thies Mynther, but it’s the eclectic songwriting that makes it interesting (the Hacker only collaborated on one track, “Soundtrack of Now,” and it’s hardly a highlight).

Catchy though it may be, one has to wonder if this is simply going to be more of the same as it opens with “Professional Distortion.” “Show me your tits, and let’s make a hit,” says L.A. Williams as the second track, “Requiem 4 A Hit,” begins. A break halfway through “Hit” that calls to mind a ’70s Streisand ballad makes it obvious that Miss Kittin isn’t merely an innovator but an artist. An artist breaking the mold she helped create. It’s the next track, “Happy Violentine,” that really proves this: One part menacing and two parts lush, it’d be best described as ambient, chill, or – dare I say – pop (the title track is most definitely ambient). Miss Kitten’s influences are clearly diverse, and she displays them all proudly. She even pays homage to the French band Indochine with a seductive cover of “3ème Sexe,” arguably the highlight of the disc, which should please fans of Eurythmics as much as fans of Felix Da Housecat.
(www.astralwerks.com)