Album Review: Kittyhawk – Mickey’s Favourite Songs

Kittyhawk are a band that is made up of members that have roots stretching out into many other bands, the likes of Dowsing, Pet Cemetery, Joie De Vivre and many more.  Hailing from Chicago, you might be excited to imagine  bands like Rise Against or maybe even Alkaline Trio, well no not exactly, in fact what you actually get is something a little more along the indie shoe gazing ilk.

‘Mickey’s Favourite Songs’ is an album made up of what we believe are a collection of non album songs that member Mickey Crotty has put together (or not, that Mickey, not sure) from the Kittyhawk catalogue.

Singer Kate Grube has a vocal that to to say the least is melancholic, although she does try her hardest, the difficulty of this is that layered into a sound that has been produced in a way that every instrument seems to clash and never really find a place, is quite frankly a struggle to enjoy.  

‘The First One’ kicking off the album, is only of only a few examples where the vocal does win out and give a sense of being, beautifully soft and grounded, you’re really hoping that the rest of the album can deliver more.

It’s not until you get too ‘The Green’ does the promise of something interesting jump up and grab you, the off kilter beat kicks it off well, but again it does get dragged in by all the layering. 

So to the best song on the album, a cover of course ‘You Keep Me Hanging On’ by the wonderful Kim Wilde, who is still belting it out to all our joy (yes this punk had a crush), least said about this cover the better maybe.

All in all, if downbeat and other worldly is your thing, then you may love this album, but if you’re looking for enlightenment in any way, then disappointment will be the only outcome.

To Pre-order this album try HERE

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