Miss Kittin - I Com

Miss Kitten is getting a lot of air time on the local college station (around here anyway), and the Swiss economist/artist/graphic designer-turned-dj, also known as Caroline Hervé, has put out quite an ecclectic record in I Com. Some of it is blatent techno, but it's the subtleties in songs like “Kiss Factory” and “Dub About Me” that keep things interesting. Having worked with the likes of Felix da Housecat, Chicks on Speed, and most frequently, The Hacker, Miss Kittin is quite adept in the art of putting together catchy, arty songs. The cold, metalic quality on some tracks is tempered with a sweetness in others that keeps you guessing as to which Kittin will be showing up. I have to admit, of the 12 songs on I Com, “Requiem For a Hit” is probably my least favorite, but even it has some catch/cool elements. Who doesn’t like a good sexy throaty groan? By far, my favorite song is “Kiss Factory” with its sassy lyrics sung in Miss Kittin's Euro accent: “No kiss around the clock/only French ones left in stock.” It has a flirty, almost confection-evoking innocence – like spun sugar. I don't know if this makes sense, but think twee. And then, she turns around with songs like the animatronic atonal “Clone Me.” It's the unexpected that draws you into wanting more. There is enough variety from the multi-lingual Swiss Miss to make Europop and techno fans very happy. It's more creative than a lot of the drivel that tends to come out of this genre, and it's for certain that the songs do not blend into one another, sharing one, droning, beat. I Com is an intriguing mix of what you might expect from someone who grew up culturally between Paris and Berlin. [www.misskittin.com]