Inherit

A decade and one year ago, Free Kitten released their third album, Sentimental Education. On it, one heard Kim Gordon's vocals and guitar. One also heard Pussy Galore's Julie Cafritz's vocals and guitar. Drums were played by the Boredom's Yoshimi; bass: Mark Ibold, formerly of Pavement. There were guest stars, too, but for the post-punk, indie, noise uninitiated, the draw of this album,--and 1994's UnBoxed, and Nice Ass after it--was less its pedigree than the music's ability to challenge or even stop the movie lies that generally play in all our heads, such as: I am happy. Cut to: my family is whole and happy. Fade to black.

But that was then. As to now: Free Kitten is releasing its fourth studio album. Titled Inherit, it reacquaints us with Gordon, Cafritz and Yoshimi. On the disc, then and now are collapsed into the present. And it is our present that is most effected by songs like "Erected Girl," which reminds one of bossa nova rhythms run through a Kosher meat grinder. And then there's "Free Kitten on the Mountain," which amounts to a travelogue of sorts--but through a Lord Buckley-like subconscious mind. In short, the thematic eclecticism evinced in Free Kitten's present work is a movie that doesn't lie, because truth is its standard.