Going unappreciated during your peak must be a massive ego blow, so allow us the chance to correct it with Kitty. The Austin, Texas based band formed more than two decades ago and though their radius stretched only so far as Denton, the group’s unreleased EPs and recorded one-offs are now collected by Medical Records as single LP of mind-melting artistry.
Straddling the line between rock show and rave up, “Herzog” is the best visual representation for an album that is the evolution of experimental rock and electronic music melding out of the alternative spotlight. A swirling drone mingles with a heady drum beat, soaring synths and metallic distractions. Much like the pinhole that psychedelia entered and exited for a brief moment in the mid-90’s, “Herzog” does its best to rip it open. But the weight of flannel and Hot Topic are too much to overcome.
Kitty’s eponymous reissue is littered with artistic love notes to the unappreciated. No wonder “Herzog” shares space with similarly named compositions that evoke greatness from the music and namesake. “Herzog” stands as the last heartbeat of a band gone before it could have its groundbreaking talent celebrated. A rave at a rock show, in all its VHS time capsule glory will have to speak to the movement we so carelessly missed because Fuel had a new album.
• Medical Records: http://medical-records.org
