BatBox
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
BatBox is the second studio album of new material from French electronic musician Miss Kittin, co-written and produced with Pascal Gabriel. The music combines elements of techno and electro and, as Kittin describes it, a flirtation with Goth culture.[1] It was released on 4 February 2008 on Kittin's Nobody's Bizzness record label, although by January 2008 the album had leaked to the internet.
The CD booklet features foldout artwork by Rob Reger, creator of Emily the Strange character.[1]
Background and development
For Batbox, Miss Kittin teamed up with producer Pascal Gabriel, who had previously worked with Kylie Minogue, Boy George and Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The album was recorded in Pascal’s studio in London over several months in 2007.[2] Of the title, Miss Kittin stated, "BatBox is a redemption. Let the bats in my head fly out. I was saying goodbye to old ghosts."[3]
Composition
Musically, the album drew influences from electropop and Detroit techno,[4] and fellow electroclash artists such as Chicks on Speed and Ellen Allien.[5]
Release and artwork
The CD booklet and cover art were designed by Rob Reger, the creator of Emily the Strange. Miss Kittin met Reger after performing a DJ gig in San Francisco.[2]
Critical reception
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic |   [4] |
| Exclaim! | positive[6] |
| The Guardian | [7] |
| PopMatters |   [8] |
| Resident Advisor | [5] |
| URB |  [9] |
| XLR8R | [10] |
Jason Lymangrover, writing for Allmusic, commented, "As she emerges from the broken cocoon of Detroit and German techno influences into a unique artist of her own -- one who is slightly experimental but never lacking a head-bobbing hook -- it's hard to argue when she quips, 'Frenchies do it better.'"[4] John Burgess from The Guardian stated, "Her charismatic approach made her a major electroclash figure, and she has sustained her cult status. This is unlikely to change, despite a more pop approach for Batbox [...] The music remains niche, industrial and Teutonic, over which Hervé delivers idiosyncratic observations on her life and gothic pursuits."[7] Quentin B. Huff of PopMatters noted that the album "could have been bigger, brasher, and bolder. But, all things considered, it still amounts to a full load of goodies and a heck of a ride."[8]
Conversely, Resident Advisor's Stéphane Girard said that Miss Kittin "occupies an ungraceful and uncomfortable middle ground between Chicks on Speed and Ellen Allien, and BatBox, unfortunately, won’t really do anything to change that nor rally anyone to her solo career’s cause.[5] URB felt that "as a concept the album fails miserably, but taken as individual tracks there are some that transcend, the brooding ‘Lightmaker’ or the nicely melodic DJ friendly track ‘Playmate of the Century.’[9] In addition, Luciana Lopez of XLR8R opined, "Even the glossy, high-quality production can’t give this album the energy to rise above the middling bar it sets for itself."[10]
Singles
- "Kittin Is High" was released as the album's lead single commercially worldwide on 30 November 2007. Rob Reger designed limited edition artwork for the vinyl single cover.[11]
- "Grace" was released as the album's second and final single on 20 June 2008; it included remixes by Martinez and Sleeparchive.[12]
Promotion
In 2008, "Barefoot Tonight" was used in the American comedy-drama television series Entourage episode "First Class Jerk."[13]
Track listing
All lyrics are written by Miss Kittin and Pascal Gabriel
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kittin Is High" | 3:51 |
| 2. | "BatBox" | 3:20 |
| 3. | "Grace" | 3:19 |
| 4. | "Solidasarockstar" | 3:57 |
| 5. | "Barefoot Tonight" | 3:04 |
| 6. | "Play Me a Tape" | 4:09 |
| 7. | "Pollution of the Mind" | 5:16 |
| 8. | "Wash N Dry" | 4:15 |
| 9. | "Metalhead" | 5:23 |
| 10. | "Machine Joy" | 3:32 |
| 11. | "Sunset Strip" | 3:02 |
| 12. | "Playmate of the Century" | 4:04 |
| 13. | "Lightmaker" | 4:31 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 14. | "Mother Star" | 3:37 |
Charts
| Chart (2008) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Albums Chart (Flanders)[15] | 91 |
| Belgian Alternative Albums Chart (Flanders)[15] | 48 |
| Belgian Albums Chart (Wallonia)[15] | 84 |
| French Albums Chart[15] | 75 |
References
- ^ a b Miss Kittin set to release 2nd album 'BatBox' in February 2008 - news, torrent, Wikipedia, free MP3, download, lyrics
- ^ a b Grieg, Jasper (2008-02-01). "In the Batbox with Miss Kittin - Features - Music / Electronic Beats by Telekom". Electronic Beats. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "Miss Kittin: Stretching out her claws". In the Mix. 2008-02-21. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ a b c d Lymangrover, Jason (2008). "BatBox - Miss Kittin". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ a b c Girard, Stéphane (2008-01-30). "RA Reviews: Miss Kittin - Batbox (Album)". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ Woo, Rob (2008). "Miss Kittin - Batbox • Dance & Electronic Reviews • exclaim.ca". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2011-04-13.
- ^ a b Burgess, John (2008-04-08). "CD: Miss Kittin, Batbox". The Guardian. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ a b Huff, Quentin B. (2008-03-05). "Miss Kittin: BatBox". PopMatters. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
- ^ a b "Miss Kittin – BatBox". URB. 2008-03-05. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
- ^ a b Lopez, Luciana (2008-04-08). "BatBox". XLR8R. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
- ^ "Kittin Is High - The first single off Miss Kittin's album 'BatBox', released on 30th November 2007". www.kittinbatbox.com. Retrieved 2010-11-05.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Out now, MissKittin's new BatBox release: "Grace" EP with remixes by Martinez and Sleeparchive". www.kittinbatbox.com. Retrieved 2010-11-08.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Miss Kittin - IMDb". IMDb. Amazon.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|work=(help) - ^ "Ms. Kittin* - BatBox". Discogs. Retrieved 2010-11-09.
- ^ a b c d "Miss Kittin - BatBox" (in Dutch). Ultratop. Hung Medien. Retrieved 2010-04-21.