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Kittentank – Post Modern Hoe-Down
7/10
Lo-fi casio drum machine-driven mope pop with swirling distorted and lazy guitar produced with strange FX over the top makes for a compelling listen. Frank Eggleton is Kittentank, and has a unique voice bathed in a grit similar to fellow Wellingtonian Sam F Scott, and delivers this with a semi-sarcastic, matter-of-fact style. The track You People is an awesome cross between Thought Creature and Golden Axe, name checking glad eyes in staticky, smushed vocal whines. The crunching guitar riffs merged with polished drum machine and bass and brought up at the end of each segment by a tunnelling SFX brings to mind all those crazy house parties dancing to Golden Axe in bizarre costumes. Old Lady sounds like a classic alt-noise jam, breathing familiarity and arty expressionism with each overly echoed line. Relatable and imaginative lyrics bubble underneath all the distortion; it’s good a couple of the song’s lyrics are included in the liner notes, for you may not notice their poetic quality. “If I only had a thousand days/ I’d sail the crashing waves/ while a flock of mimes pretend to be productive with their fleeting time/ If I only had a thousand days/ would I still be who I am/ A desperado drunk on hope that dreams of some escape”. Post Modern Hoe-Down is a wonderful, imaginative and fun escapist masterpiece filled with instant epic classics.
Sarah
- einsteinmusicjournal.co.nz
NZ Music News >
Kittentank EP release & Kittentank NZ Tour
Kittentank EP release & Kittentank NZ Tour
07.10.09
[press release]
Wellington 6-piece Kittentank have just recorded a brand spanking new EP, and are touring NZ to celebrate!
South Island Tour 15th - 17th October With Thought Creature
Christchurch Thursday 15th October
@ The Media Club
Kittentank, Thought Creature & Hypercolours
All Ages $10 Door
Christchurch Friday 16th October
@ Wunder Bar
Kittentank, Thought Creature & The Shocking Pinks Dfa/Dj Set
R18 $10 Door
Dunedin 17th October
@ Chicks Hotel
Kittentank, Thought Creature, Haunted Love & Brains
R18 $10 Door
North Island 4th - 7th November With Full Moon Fiasco
Wellington Wednesday 4th November
@ The San Francisco Bathhouse
Kittentank & Full Moon Fiasco
R18 Free Entry
Napier 5th November
@ The Cabana Bar
Kittentank & Full Moon Fiacso & Guests
R18 $10 Door
Auckland Friday 6th November
@ Whammy Bar
Kittentank, Full Moon Fiasco, Hairdos, Sherpa & 1995
R18 $10 Door - Amplifier
Kittentank has grown legs, arms and now a body. Franko Eggelton (second from right) used to call Kittentank his own, but in recent times he has gathered his friends together to form a travelling band; depending on who’s in town, the size of the band can differ for any given show.
The Wellington band (I think it’s safe to call them a band now) has just finished recording a new self-titled EP and it will be available for the first time this weekend at their Wellington show. The first single from the EP titled ‘Nah’ has just been uploaded to the band’s myspace and we have it here for download. Proving Kittentank has changed a lot since the expansion, the song features Kristen Paterson on vocals, growling proudly in her crooked kiwi accent sounding much like a cross between Courtney Love and Xena: Warrior Princess. It’s harder, faster and more aggressive than anything we’ve ever heard from Kittentank, blending garage rock and ’79 NZ punk into a contemporary street brawling sound.
You can also purchase the new EP by messaging the band on their myspace page. - Einsteinmusicjournal.co.nz
Kittentank
Frank Eggleton released his solo project Kittentank’s debut album, Post Modern Hoe Down, in late 2008. More recently, he has assembled a six-piece band to perform his compositions, which he says is like having “an electric orchestra” at his disposal. “It makes some of the songs more stripped back, as we can add and take away elements. But when I played solo I felt I had to make as much noise as possible to make up for not being a band.” They recorded the accomplished Kittentank EP in 2009 and, with vocalist Kristen Paterson also writing, a second album is planned for 2010. - The Listener, New Zealand, Jan 16 2010
Discography
2008 - "Post modern hoe down" album/cdr
2009 - "Kittentank" EP
2011 - "A cyclone at my table"(album yet to be released)
Photos
Bio
Living in Dunedin in mid 2006 amid the profusion of noise, pop and electro acts filling the cities galleries, venues and flats, Frank Eggleton formed the one-man act Kittentank.
A quirky mix of the prevalent surrounding influences in equal measures, Eggleton coined his own particular lo-fi brand of casio backing beats, noisey guitar, distorted yet warm sounding keyboards and smart lyrics with a hint of sarcasm, alternately screamed and sung.
2007 saw Eggleton bring his veritable melting pot of Dunedin eclectic-ness to Wellington, to embark on a busy 2 years writing music and playing the art gallery, book launch and independent gig circuit. This culminated in the October 2008 recording of Kittentank's first album "Post Modern Hoe Down", an 11- track lo-fi album that charted Eggleton's musical development to date, recorded and produced by Rory Storm. With "relatable and imaginative lyrics (that) bubble underneath all the distortion"-(Einsteinmusicjournal.co.nz), the album was released to great local reviews, selling out within a month.
In 2009, Eggleton enlisted the help of several Wellingtonians to work on new material. Starting the year with a 3-piece renegade show at Camp A Low Hum and an Orientation support slot, Kittentank grew a full 6-piece band by March. Expanding on Eggleton’s original material, the Kittentank line up now includes Kristen Paterson on vocals and guitar (Death Rattle, Bangkok Chick Boys), Johhny Mulvey on guitar (The Users, Dead Heroes Collective), Danny Brady on bass (Thought Creature), Alice Macklow on keys (Full Moon Fiasco) and Warwick Donald on drums (Control 6580).
Kittentank took their new sound to the road with stints playing around the north and south island, and have played with the likes of Wow(aus), Bonaparte(Ger), The Sharpie Crows, Street chant, Thought Creature, The Drab Doo-Riffs, The Naked and Famous, Flick, Tapeman, Brains, Postures, Forcefields, The Transistors, Sets, Dick Dynaminte & The Dopplegangers, Big Flip The Massive, Cat Venom, Haunted Love, Diana Rozz, Stefanimal and Stephen Jackson.
2009 also saw the release of the Kittentank Kittentank EP, recorded by Warwick Donald at the Fredrick St Light And Sound Exploration Society in Wellington. Mastered by Kittentank bassist Danny Brady, the 5-track EP covers garage, pop and rock with dance beats and a multi-layered sound.
Kittentank are currently working on their sophomore album - which will also feature songs written by Johnny Mulvey and Kristen Paterson
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