Free Kitten Inherit Sonic Youth Charm

Free Kitten, the supergroup consisting of Sonic Youth’s Kim Gordon, Pussy Galore’s Julia Cafritz, Pavement’s Mark Ibold and The Boredoms’ Yoshimi P-We, incorporate everything alternative in Inherit. There is so much contrast within the 11-track release that it seems more like four albums in one. Fans of Sonic Youth will definitely see the roots of this piece in their earlier work, and Kim Gordon’s almost signature psychedelic, whispery vocals could just as easily have been taken from any of their releases.The overdriven guitar carries each track, with more than enough experimentation between that of the guitar riff and the vocals for anyone serious about music to develop severe palpitations as the excitement of opener “Erected Girl” develops.

From that point on, it just gets better. Gordon’s vocals become seemingly more like Nico’s from the brilliant collaborative album with The Velvet Underground, and the ’60s vibe produced by the laid-back psychedelia of the spastic intertwining guitar and drum lines is second to none of recent years.

It is reminiscent of the Oxford scene that exploded after Sonic Youth reshaped alternative music, and rightly so. The only difference is that Free Kitten are doing what so many failed to accomplish: develop a natural progression from Sonic Youth on a grand scale, covering everything thought of as ‘alt’ with one swoop.

Inherit takes the listener on a melodious journey through ancient temples, empty high streets and finally up into the clouds. Any musician recording in the field of alt rock and experimental genres would do well to get their ears round this, as it is no doubt one of the best things to happen to the alternative regions of music for quite some time.