Top Ten Songs by Kittie
Kittie’s music is great for venting; it reinforces the notion that heavy metal listeners everywhere can attest to: loud and wild music-the kind your parents hate-can be very soothing. With three albums under their belt and a fourth on the way, Kittie is rocking out more than ever. Here is my all-time Kittie Top Ten.
10) Wolves (album: Oracle) At first glance this song may seem simple but it has a unique rhythm to it, an almost hypnotic chanting repetitive quality that can seem annoying in some songs but not here. The repetition of the word “Nothing,” continuously screamed throughout the song, in addition to the line “Nothing / Comes back / Like wolves” just clarifies a profound desperation in the girls’ voices. Awesome guitar riffs as well.
9) Looks So Pretty (album: Until the End) Just the way this song starts drags its listener in. The echoing of the words and the repetitive guitar riffs reminds me of an enemy stalking its prey. This is the first song on Kittie’s last album, Until the End, and it is a very strong and angry song, which is made clear in the line, “Burning hatred will light my way.” My favorite line is in the chorus, “You look so pretty / Digging your grave.”
8) Pink Lemonade (album: Oracle) Pink Lemonade is the last track on Kittie’s sophomore album, Oracle. At over 10-and-a-half minutes, with the first minute-and-a-half having only music and no words, some might find the song tedious. It is definitely way too long to be a single, but the song is so haunting I find it impossible to skip. The girls don’t do much screaming in this song; they sound tired, almost worn out by a long and hurtful relationship (perfect song to be the last on an album) and the way they belt out their lines, especially the slow and enunciated line, “So what if you were all I had?” is just awesome.
7) Mouthful of Poison (album: Oracle) In Mouthful of Poison there is a lot of that guttural yelling Kittie is so famous for, but there is something so calming about it, especially when it coincides with the regular vocals. This is another one of those angry songs about a “mouth full of lead and lies” but it is a great song to listen to while venting out frustrations.
6) Career Suicide (album: Until the End) “Vindication bleeds you / From every poor / Until hope runs out / Until my feet leave the floor.” Those are some awesome lyrics, and they’re the first lines of Career Suicide. I love this song because the lyrics are great. “Your faded costume / Is wearing thin / Was there no comfort / In your own skin?” The song is a combination of screaming and softer vocals. But the rhythm and the words put together just sound amazing.
5) Loveless (album: Until the End) One of Kittie’s shorter songs, Loveless describes something we have all felt at one point or another. Loveless puts a special focus on the awesome vocals. Also, the lyrics portray someone begging for forgiveness, being the one who wronged, rather than depicting anger at someone else. It’s a nice switch, and the girls do it with such power. That’s the great thing about Kittie-even in the slower songs, their power still radiates.
4) In Dreams (album: Until the End) The chorus of In Dreams starts, “Wide awake and dreaming / Is this what it seems?” And it reminds me of Alice in Wonderland, or like drifting around in a dense fog. The song just creates such imagery with the music and the vocals; it has an almost upbeat feel to it and is very pleasing to the ear. Yet, even when upbeat, the girls never cease to immerse our ears with metal.
3) Into the Darkness (album: Until the End) It is hard to describe this song, because it just has a really powerful rhythm and beat to it that is hard to put into words. Each time the vocals reach a new section of the song, the octave goes up a little, which sounds awesome, like the song is going up and up, reaching out to something. The vocals are amazing, as usual, and there is a quiet bridge in the second half of the song that is very beautiful.
2) In Winter (album: Oracle) This song just paints a really serene picture. A lot of nature references, like trees and rain, and “the coldest winter.” There is a powerful yet calming feeling to this song and it really just makes you feel like the band is singing in the dead of winter in front of a backdrop of beautiful white snow. Kittie has an amazing way of making you feel what they’re singing, without any images.
1) Safe (album: Oracle) Safe is my all-time favorite Kittie song. I could listen to it repeatedly and never get sick of it. There is a very slow melodic beat to this song, like you’re trudging through the mud; the vocals are simply amazing, even though there isn’t much yelling or really loud vocal definition (although it picks up towards the end), there is a lot of really beautiful yet subtle harmonizing. The song just makes me think of misty rain, or something equally placid.
While none of Kittie’s EP’s or their first album, Spit, made my Top Ten, that doesn’t mean they aren’t awesome! Go get all of Kittie’s albums because they are all fantastic and don’t forget to visit their MySpace to hear samples of the new album scheduled for release in 2007!
