| BatBox | ||||||||||
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| Studio album by Miss Kittin | ||||||||||
| Released | 4 February 2008 | |||||||||
| Genre | Electronica, Electroclash, Dance | |||||||||
| Label | Nobody's Bizzness | |||||||||
| Producer | Pascal Gabriel | |||||||||
| Miss Kittin chronology | ||||||||||
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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 February 4, 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]
Contents |
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]
Musically, the album drew influences from electropop and Detroit techno,[4] and fellow electroclash artists such as Chicks on Speed and Ellen Allien.[5]
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]
| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| 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]
In 2008, "Barefoot Tonight" was used in the American comedy-drama television series Entourage episode "First Class Jerk."[13]
All lyrics 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 |
| iTunes Bonus Track | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| No. | Title | Length | |||||||
| 14. | "Mother Star" | 3:37 | |||||||
| 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 |
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