Jump to content

Spit (album)

This is a good article. Click here for more information.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spit
Studio album by
ReleasedNovember 13, 1999 (1999-11-13)[1]
RecordedMay 1999
StudioEMAC (London, Ontario)
GenreNu metal
Length37:23
Label
ProducerGarth Richardson
Kittie chronology
Kittie
(1998)
Spit
(1999)
Paperdoll
(2000)
Singles from Spit
  1. "Brackish"
    Released: January 11, 2000
  2. "Charlotte"
    Released: June 5, 2000
Original cover

Spit is the debut studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Kittie, originally released on November 13, 1999, through Ng Records. Kittie were formed in 1996, and signed a four-album deal with Ng following their performances at the Canadian Music Week festival in March 1999. Recorded over nine days in May 1999 with producer Garth Richardson at EMAC Studios in London, Ontario, Spit is a nu metal album that incorporates various elements from several heavy metal subgenres, and its lyrical themes include sexism, hatred, ignorance, betrayal, bullying and life experiences. The album is Kittie's only release with their original line-up, featuring bassist Tanya Candler and guitarist Fallon Bowman; Candler was replaced by Talena Atfield, who appears on the cover of all subsequent reissues of the album.

Shortly after Spit's initial release, Ng was absorbed into Artemis Records, who gave the album a wide re-release on January 11, 2000. Kittie promoted the album with the release of two singles, "Brackish" and "Charlotte", which became radio and MTV hits, and extensive international touring which saw the band perform at the Ozzfest and SnoCore festivals in 2000 and 2001, respectively. The album reached number 79 on the US Billboard 200 chart and was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in October 2000.

Spit received mixed-to-positive responses from critics, who generally praised the album's aggression but criticized its song titles, lyrics and attitude; Kittie faced media attention and criticism at the time of its release for their age and anomalous status as an all-female band playing heavy metal. The band subsequently distanced themselves from the album in the years following its release due to the stigma it brought them. It remains Kittie's best-selling album, having sold 660,000 copies in the United States as of April 2003.

Background

[edit]
Talena Atfield, sticking out her tongue
Although bassist Talena Atfield (pictured) is on Spit's album cover, Tanya Candler played bass on the album.[2]

Kittie was formed in September 1996 in London, Ontario,[3] when drummer Mercedes Lander and guitarist Fallon Bowman met in gym class.[4] They bonded over their shared interest in grunge artists such as Nirvana and Silverchair, and began jamming together.[5][6] Mercedes soon brought in her sister, Morgan Lander, to jam with them as their singer and second guitarist.[7] The trio started out playing covers of Nirvana, Silverchair, Deftones and Korn before attempting to write their own material;[5][8] "Brackish" was the first song they wrote together.[4] In late 1997, they decided on naming themselves Kittie in order to sign up for an upcoming Battle of the Bands competition at Call the Office.[9] They chose the band name because it "seemed contradictory".[10] Morgan said: "Usually females are perceived as being cute, fragile and feminine, like the name Kittie. The contradiction comes in, when the listener hears what our music really is about: women playing metal".[11] In November 1997, Kittie recruited bassist Tanya Candler at Bowman's suggestion, completing their lineup.[12][13] Candler had not played bass before joining the band.[11][13]

Kittie made their live debut performing at Call the Office on February 28, 1998,[14] and began playing local shows every one or two weeks,[4] at either Call the Office or The Embassy.[15] The band also recorded two demos, Sexizhell and Kittie, which were sent to various record labels.[11][5][16] In March 1999, the band performed at the Canadian Music Week festival in Toronto, where they approached Jason Wyner, second-in-command at Ng Records.[17] Ng had previously rejected Kittie's demos,[4][18] but after watching them perform at the festival, Wyner signed Kittie into a four-album record deal with the label.[19][20][21][nb 1]

According to Morgan Lander, the songs featured on Spit were all written when the members of Kittie "were 14 years old".[24] Most of the songs were written by Morgan, Mercedes and Bowman in 1997,[12] and were reworked until Kittie recorded the album.[25] The band wrote the music first, as a "backdrop" to Morgan's vocals.[24] When asked about their influences in an interview with Metal Maidens in 1999, the members of Kittie cited Nile, Today Is the Day, Placebo, Far, Weezer, Orgy, Fear Factory, Hole, Tura Satana, Human Waste Project, Babes in Toyland, Misfits, Blondie, and Nasum as influences.[11]

Recording and production

[edit]

After signing with Ng, Kittie recorded Spit with producer Garth Richardson at EMAC Studios in May 1999, in the span of nine days.[26] Richardson was introduced to Kittie after EMAC owner Robert Nation, who engineered both of Kittie's demos,[16] gave him a copy of the band's six-song EP.[11][27] Impressed by the demos, he agreed to produce their debut album "for beans", according to Morgan: "He took his own time out from doing other projects and just said, 'OK, I'm just going to do this album'."[28] The members of Kittie were still attending high school at the time, and recording sessions would take place in the evenings after they had dinner and finished their homework at the studio. According to Candler, they would finish recording at no later than 10pm per day.[29]

Prior to recording, Kittie told Richardson that they wanted Spit to sound "live and raw, yet still [possess] the quality of a professional, studio-produced recording", and the band spent an entire day choosing which equipment and amps they wanted to use from Richardson's array.[30] The band recorded their tracks through one of Richardson's custom guitars, which Bowman described as "really great, [and] really chunky sounding",[30] using "straight amp distortion" instead of guitar effects pedals;[31] Bowman only used one guitar pedal on the entire album, an Ibanez Classic Phase.[30] Due to the fast nature of recording, the album's drum takes were essentially "one-offs" and no double-tracking was applied to its vocals, according to Morgan.[28]

Richardson said that his input on Spit was limited to helping Kittie choose sounds and suggestions on guitar and drum parts.[5] Morgan noted that, besides Richardson helping the band with some vocal arrangements and melodies and suggesting that the structure of "Paperdoll" should be changed due to there being a "catchy hook" in the song, the album's songs remained largely unchanged from when they were first written.[8][11] "Brackish" was nearly left off of Spit due to problems surrounding its arrangements. The song would come into its own when the band recruited DJ Dave, a friend of Nation's, to add "some cool jungle" beats under the track.[20][32] Morgan wrote the song's chorus a week later. "I remember sitting on the floor in the vocal booth writing the lyrics down, it was right at the very tail-end, like, 'I have no idea what I'm going to say here. I'll just think of something.' "[20] The album's total recording costs were US$57,000,[33] and it was completed by August 1999.[19]

Music and lyrics

[edit]

Music

[edit]

Spit is a nu metal album[36][37][38] with elements of heavy metal,[39] speed metal,[40] groove metal,[41] alternative metal,[41] alternative rock,[42] death metal,[35][43] and in the lead single "Brackish", techno[44][35][45] and rap.[38] According to Exclaim!, Spit "plays like an inconsistent collection of stale 1991-era Pantera and Sepultura B-sides, overdubbed with the occasional 1995 techno sprinkle for a somewhat modern measure".[44] The album contains heavy riffs,[41] rapping (in the song "Brackish"),[38] screaming and clean singing.[46] According to an AllMusic review by Roxanne Blanford, the album has a "meatier, heavier sound than contemporaries Limp Bizkit and Korn".[45] According to Michael Tedder of The Pitch, "Spit echoes Helmet's precision, Slayer's power and (with some songs dealing with body image and self-esteem issues) even Nirvana's confessional songwriting".[34] Author Tommy Udo compared Kittie's sound and attitude to heavy metal bands such as Pantera and Machine Head.[47] The album's songs are played in the tuning of drop C.[31]

Lyrics

[edit]
Despite the lyrics, Morgan Lander said Kittie led "fairly normal lives".[48]

The album's lyrical themes explore "hate, ignorance and sexism",[49] and AllMusic noted its feminist lyrics.[45] Nonetheless, Morgan Lander said Kittie are not a feminist band.[49] According to George Lang of The Oklahoman, "Kittie's lyrics are full of spit and venom, directed at preppy cheerleaders, rich kids, rude boys and women who trade on their sexuality".[50] According to Morgan Lander, Spit is "a dark album, but it's about every day life which isn't always peachy".[36] Spit was controversial because of its song titles, which made many people think that the album's songs are about sex.[51] In an interview with NY Rock, Atfield said that none of the album's songs are about sex.[52]

Mercedes Lander explained the meaning of Spit's title track: "People expect us to suck, then we get on stage and blow them away."[35][53] The song "Spit" was inspired by the attitude of local bands towards Kittie.[49] "Charlotte" was inspired by a serial killer from the book Rites of Burial by Tom Jackman and Troy Cole.[54] "Brackish" "is a commentary on a friend of" Kittie "and the relationship that she was in at the time".[54] "Jonny" is reportedly a reaction to male domination of women,[55] whilst "Raven", according to the Sun-Sentinel, "was inspired by a death threat received from a male band against whom" Kittie "competed in an Ontario talent contest."[48] In an interview with Bleeding Metal, Mercedes and Bowman said the song title "Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)" came from an incident at a school talent show when, after playing one song, a teacher didn't like what they were playing, telling them to "get off".[56] Bowman said that "Choke" is "about someone telling you that they love you so much, and they put you up on a pedestal and make you feel great, then they turn around and say 'screw you'".[35] According to Morgan Lander, "Do You Think I'm a Whore" is about "how some people automatically think you're a slut because you wear a short skirt",[36] and "not judging a book by its cover".[49] The song's title was given "basically to prove people wrong".[49] The album's penultimate track, "Paperdoll", is about the degradation of women as objects.[35]

Release and promotion

[edit]

Kittie began touring in support of Spit in July 1999, when they performed at the Milwaukee Metalfest.[57][58] Radio specialty shows and early press supported the album before its release, and the band's profile increased following coverage of the band in Rolling Stone magazine and in an MTV News 1515 report.[58][59][60] In August 1999, the band toured with Skinlab.[23] In September, following their performance at the Big Day Off in Hartford, Connecticut, Candler abruptly left Kittie for personal reasons.[61][36] The band quickly recruited Talena Atfield to replace Candler, with Atfield being made to learn Kittie's entire setlist two weeks before a scheduled performance at the CMJ Music Festival in New York City, where a music video was filmed for the album's lead single, "Brackish".[62][20][nb 2] The album was initially released on November 13, 1999, by Ng,[1] but its production was short-lived as Ng was absorbed into Artemis Records shortly after.[50] Candler's departure contributed to the delays,[63] with the band having to re-record "Paperdoll" as she was the song's vocalist.[22] Spit was then reissued by Artemis on January 11, 2000, with different artwork and photographs, featuring pictures of Atfield in place of Candler.[20][45][39] Sony Music handled the album's distribution outside of the United States.[64]

Spit was supported by two major singles, "Brackish" and "Charlotte". "Brackish", which had been receiving airplay from radio outlets since late 1999, was released as a single on the same day that Spit was re-released.[65][66] The song's music video premiered on MuchMusic the day of the single's release, and then premiered on MTV by first appearing on MTV's 120 Minutes on January 30, 2000.[67] "Brackish" continued to be played on MTV and was rotated on WAAF.[19][68] The single reached number 31 on Billboard's Active Rock chart.[69] On February 23, 2000, Kittie performed "Brackish" live on Late Night With Conan O'Brien,[70][71] and were interviewed and performed on the talk show Later on May 31, 2000.[72] On June 5, 2000, Kittie released "Charlotte" as the album's second single, which reached number 35 on the Active Rock chart.[69][73][74] The music video for "Charlotte", directed by Lisa Rubish,[75] was one of the most played music videos on MTV during July 2000.[76] Artemis also released two EPs in support of Spit; a four-track promotional EP featuring live versions (and respective radio edits) of the album's title track and "Suck" was serviced to radio stations on April 24, 2000,[77] and the Paperdoll EP, featuring a remix of Spit's song "Paperdoll" and some live tracks, was released on December 12, 2000.[78] The Paperdoll EP had sold 100,000 copies in the United States by December 2003.[79]

After Spit's release, Kittie toured the United States with Slipknot.[80] Between April 7 and April 10, 2000, Kittie played three Canadian dates with Slipknot,[81] before embarking on an American tour with Chevelle, Shuvel and the Step Kings on April 27.[75] Kittie then toured Europe with Suicidal Tendencies and performed at Ozzfest 2000, headlining the second stage.[75][82] They were the youngest, and only female act, on that year's bill. Morgan and Mercedes said when they were having dinner with their parents back home in Canada, they received a phone call from the representative of Ozzfest, being asked if they were interested in performing at the tour, requesting a press kit to review. When touring in England, Kittie received a phone call being told the band is officially involved in the tour.[83] On July 11, 2000, the band released the home video Spit in Your Eye.[75] Artemis Records wanted Kittie to begin recording a new album after the Ozzfest tour in September 2000,[84] which the band refused to do as they didn't feel that they were finished touring.[85] Kittie planned to tour with Pantera,[86] but the tour fell through when Pantera vocalist Phil Anselmo fell and broke two ribs. After the Pantera tour fell through, Kittie created a headlining tour from November 18 to December 1, 2000,[87] and performed at the 2001 SnoCore festival.[88]

Reception

[edit]

Critical

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[45]
Collector's Guide to Heavy Metal7/10[89]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[90]
Kerrang![91]
NME4/10[92]
Q[93]
Rock Hard7/10[94]
Rolling Stone[95]
Select[37]
The Village VoiceC+[96]

Spit received mixed-to-positive reviews. Rolling Stone gave Spit a three out of five, calling the album "fairly good-natured for an exercise in repetitive maximum aggro".[95] Roxanne Blanford of AllMusic wrote, "these young women learned well the lessons of predecessors Joan Jett, Lita Ford, and the current reigning queen of angst-rock, Courtney Love".[45] Teen Ink gave Spit a positive review: "Kittie is a Canadian band made up of four girls who can rock, yell and keep up with any hardcore band out there".[46] Phil McNamara of The Worcester Phoenix wrote that Kittie "can throw down heavy head-banging riffs with the best of them, and oh yeah -- they're girls".[51] Also, Canadian journalist Martin Popoff is quite happy of a girl band which can rock "heavily and smartly", "sounding like vicious hardcore sirens" avoiding "electronic gunk" with only a slight nod to rap metal.[89]

The Oklahoman gave Spit a positive review: "Throw in the fact that they range in age from 15 to 18, and Kittie seems like the perfect weapon to smite Mandy Moore, Britney Spears, Jessica Simpson and Christina Aguilera, forever ridding the music industry of teen-pop".[50] CMJ New Music Report gave Spit a positive review: "the teenage babes in Ontario, Canada's Kittie will scratch and claw their way into the dark recesses of your hearts thanks to their debut, the smashing 'n' stomping Spit".[39] The Washington Post criticized the album: "All four members of this Canadian metal-punk band are women, which is still a novel (though certainly not unique) lineup for a headbanging ensemble. Too bad that's virtually the quartet's only distinguishing feature".[97] The review concluded, "After four or five of these pounding rockers, Kittie becomes a bore."[97] Exclaim! also criticized the album: "Guidance Counsellor's advice: pull the plug and stay in school".[44] NME gave the album a four-out-of-ten rating: "Like kindred spirits System of a Down, Kittie want to give you the impression that they're just too tasty to fuk wit, too unhinged to view as normal folk, too pierced for the mainstream."[92] Robert Christgau, who gave the album a C+ in his Consumer Guide for The Village Voice,[96] said that he approved of what the band did but felt that they "[didn't] do it well", and expressed concern that they would provide "an excuse [for guys] to say, 'Ah bullshit, girls suck and they can't play rock & roll.' ".[98]

The Pitch gave Spit an "honourable mention" on their "American Top 40: Best Albums of 2000" list.[99] Kittie also received a nomination for "Best New Group" at the 2001 Juno Awards, ultimately losing out to Nickelback.[100]

Commercial

[edit]

Ng had initially pressed 8,000 copies of Spit. According to Morgan Lander, "Those 8,000 copies were gone in like the first fucking week".[21] On January 29, 2000, Spit debuted on the US Billboard 200 chart at number 147 with 8,800 copies sold,[101] and two weeks later, reached number one on Billboard's Top Heatseekers chart on February 19, 2000.[69][102] The album later reached its peak position of number 79 on April 15, 2000.[69] By the time the album had peaked, Spit had already sold over 100,000 copies,[103] and by May 2000 it had sold 236,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.[104] The album remained on the Billboard 200 chart for 37 weeks.[69] Spit also reached number 2 on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart, and remained on the chart for 64 weeks.[69] On October 17, 2000, Spit was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[105][106] As of April 1, 2003, Spit has sold more than 660,000 copies in the United States.[107] Spit also achieved some success outside of the United States, selling over 100,000 copies in Europe by February 2001.[108] Although Spit did not chart in the United Kingdom, "Brackish" peaked at number 46 on the UK Singles Chart on March 25, 2000, and "Charlotte" peaked at number 60 on the UK Singles Chart on July 22, 2000.[109] Spit did not achieve as much success in Canada, selling only 40,000 copies in the country by 2003.[110] Its lower sales have been attributed to a lack of radio support, as well as Kittie's lack of touring in the country.[111] In a 2000 interview with Chart Attack, Morgan said that Artemis "know the American market best [and] they are pushing for that" and that the label had "shunned" the band's attempt at a Canadian tour, but did not want to come off as "neglecting" the country.[112]

Aftermath

[edit]

We received more praise and criticism for [Spit] than we have over the duration of our entire careers; we were vilified and heralded as the "anti-Britney." We were called geniuses and a gimmick; we were accused of sleeping our way to a record deal or not writing our songs. Our merit and validity as a real band were time and time again called into question, and this is the perception we have continued to deal with, unfortunately. [...] It's been a struggle to overcome the negative slant that many mainstream media outlets put on Spit and "prove" ourselves as a viable band worthy of praise and appreciation within the metal community. We have always been considered outsiders, in a way, and have had a hell of a time being taken seriously.

—Morgan Lander on the impact of Spit on Kittie's reputation and image (2012)[113]

Much of the press attention surrounding and following the release of Spit focused on the ages of Kittie's members as well as their anomalous status as an all-female band playing heavy metal, much to the band's chagrin.[5][20][114] The members of Kittie said that they did not want to be described as a "girl metal" band, but as a heavy metal band instead. Mercedes said: "You don't call Machine Head a 'boy metal band'. You call them a metal band. Why should they make an exception [for us] just because of the gender? It's almost the exact same kind of music, except we don't have penises".[49] The band were also annoyed by frequent comparisons to Britney Spears and presentation as "anti-Britney",[5][115][116] a phenomenon Saturday Night magazine attributed to a comment from Morgan posted on the band's website in late 1999, stating: "I'm not up there singing, 'Hit me baby, one more time!' We're a lot more mature than that."[5] Mercedes felt that most of the press attention surrounding Kittie around the release of Spit was "the wrong kind of press" because journalists had not properly researched the band before writing about them;[117] she additionally claimed that Artemis had revealed the ages of Kittie's members to the press against their wishes.[118] Morgan also criticized journalists for constantly making puns about Kittie's name—dubbing it "Feline Association Disease"—which she saw as an attempt to reduce the band to novelty status.[116]

In the years following its release, Kittie attempted to distance themselves from Spit.[119] In a 2007 interview, Morgan stated that the album had created "a strange stigma about the band—that we are contrived or based solely on image, not music".[120] She described Kittie's second album Oracle (2001) as their attempt to "prove that we weren't gimmicks, that we weren't what a lot of critics wrote us off as, [and] that we were a real metal band".[121] By the release of their third album Until the End (2004), the band had completely abandoned the nu metal style of Spit in favour of a death metal sound.[122] For a time, Kittie stopped playing songs from the album live, as the band "wanted people to see who we are now and what we have accomplished since then", according to Morgan.[123] None of the band's subsequent albums would match the critical or popular acclaim of Spit.[20][124] By 2024, Morgan had become more accepting of Spit, as well as Kittie's association with nu metal.[125][126] In an interview with Revolver, Morgan said:

Our debut [Spit] came out at a time when nu-metal was huge and we were sort of put in that category, but as we evolved as musicians and as players and as a band, we gravitated away from that sound. I think for me, for a really long time, nu-metal was sort of like a bad word. It's tough when you're associated with a genre that you don't necessarily identify with. But I have learned over time to be proud of having an album that is part of that seminal nu-metal movement. I'm proud of our contribution.[127]

Spit made Kittie into one of a few all-female nu metal bands to achieve notable success,[128][129] and later assessments of album have been more positive.[20][124][130] In 2013, Westword credited the album for credited for "[inspiring] a" whole new generation of women" in metal.[131] Serena Cherry of Svalbard and Noctule cited Spit as the reason she became a metal musician.[132] In 2023, the album's title track was covered by Poppy, which Kittie approved of.[133][134] "Brackish" appeared on Fuse's "19 Best Nu-Metal Hits of All Time" list in 2015,[38] and was ranked number 23 on Spin's "30 Best Nu Metal Songs" list in 2017.[135] In March 2023, Rolling Stone ranked the album's title track at number 82 on their list of "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time", calling the song "a murderously heavy proto-feminist anthem that takes aim at misogynists and lands a kill shot in under three minutes."[136][137]

Accolades for Spit
Publication List Rank Ref.
Hit Parader All-Time Top 10 Female-Fronted Metal Discs 4
Kerrang! The 21 greatest nu-metal albums of all time 16
The 50 Best Albums From 2000 47
Loudwire Top 50 Nu-metal Albums of All-Time 41
Metal Hammer The 50 best nu metal albums of all time 32
Revolver 20 Essential Nu Metal albums N/A

Track listing

[edit]

All tracks are written by Kittie.[142]

Original release
No.TitleLength
1."Spit"2:20
2."Charlotte"3:56
3."Paperdoll"3:06
4."Suck"3:31
5."Do You Think I'm a Whore"3:00
6."Brackish"3:06
7."Jonny"2:24
8."Trippin'"2:21
9."Raven"3:25
10."Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)"2:52
11."Choke"4:05
12."Immortal"2:49
Total length:36:55
Reissue
No.TitleLength
1."Spit"2:20
2."Charlotte"3:56
3."Suck"3:31
4."Do You Think I'm a Whore"3:00
5."Brackish"3:06
6."Jonny"2:24
7."Trippin'"2:21
8."Raven"3:25
9."Get Off (You Can Eat a Dick)"2:52
10."Choke"4:05
11."Paperdoll"3:22
12."Immortal"2:49
Total length:37:23

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from Spit's liner notes.[143]

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United States (RIAA)[106] Gold 660,000[107]

Release history

[edit]
Region Label Format Date Catalog # Ref.
United States Ng CD November 13, 1999 751002-2 [1]
United States
January 11, 2000 ATM 497630 9 [45]
Canada
February 2000 [5]
Europe February 28, 2000 [147]
Europe
CD August 16, 2004 RCD17027 [148]
Europe Metal Mind CD (digipak) November 24, 2008 MASS CD 1243 DG [149]
Various MNRK Music Group LP April 23, 2022 EOM-LP-46645 [150]
CD July 8, 2022 MNK-CD-46759 [151]
LP April 6, 2023 MNK-LP-46778 [152]
LP (picture disc) July 12, 2024 MNK-LP-441010 [153]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ The band were not officially signed to Ng until June or July 1999, after Spit was recorded.[22][23]
  2. ^ Italian-Canadian filmmaker Floria Sigismondi was initially brought in to direct the music video for "Brackish", but her treatment was vetoed by Kittie's record label, who were unwilling to pay for its potential production costs.[20]
  3. ^ Original release only.[22]
  4. ^ Atfield was only credited. She did not perform on Spit.[2]

References

[edit]

Citations

  1. ^ a b c "Kittie Official Facebook". Facebook. November 13, 2015. Archived from the original on April 15, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023. Today 16 years ago we released our first album.
  2. ^ a b Sharpe-Young 2005, p. 187.
  3. ^ Pierce, Ken (August 11, 2007). "Interviews: Kittie (Morgan and Mercedes Lander, Tara Mcleod)". Piercing Metal. Archived from the original on August 23, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2023. "[It] will be [Kittie's eleventh birthday] in September".
  4. ^ a b c d Demisch, Carolyn (2000). "Exclusive Interview: Kittie". Teen Voice. Archived from the original on August 15, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Bouw 2001.
  6. ^ McCallum 2017, 6:57–7:05, 7:09–7:21, 7:49–7:56.
  7. ^ McCallum 2017, 7:57–9:00.
  8. ^ a b Bliss, Karen (1999). "Kittie". Sway Magazine. Archived from the original on October 31, 2000. Retrieved July 20, 2024. The structures of the songs have been the same since we've written them [...] [Richardson] didn't rearrange any structure. Because there was a catchy hook in ["Paperdoll"], we all decided to do it again, inject a chorus and put it in again.
  9. ^ McCallum 2017, 9:15–9:33.
  10. ^ Hannaham 2002, p. 25.
  11. ^ a b c d e f Hegt, Liselotte (September 1999). "Kittie: A Goddamn Smack In The Face With A Crowbar!". Metal Maidens. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  12. ^ a b Anon. (April–May 2000). "Kittie". Instant Mag. No. 27. Archived from the original on October 27, 2000. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  13. ^ a b McCallum 2017, 10:21–11:12.
  14. ^ McCallum 2017, 11:42–12:12.
  15. ^ McQueen, Gregg (June 2000). "Year of the Cat: Kittie Bares Its Claws". Rockpile. No. 58. Archived from the original on May 6, 2001. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  16. ^ a b Nation, Robert (February 28, 2001). "EMAC Recording Studios Mines U.S. Gold" (PDF). emacstudios.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 10, 2011. Retrieved April 12, 2023.
  17. ^ Bouw 2001; McCallum 2017, 14:38–15:33
  18. ^ Sperounes 2000.
  19. ^ a b c Hay 2000, p. 16.
  20. ^ a b c d e f g h i Leivers, Dannii (September 17, 2021). "The Story Behind The Song: Kittie's Brackish". Metal Hammer (loudersound). Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  21. ^ a b Huff, John (July 3, 2014). "An interview with Morgan Lander of Kittie". London Groove Machine. Archived from the original on July 7, 2014. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  22. ^ a b c Pagano, Anthony (January 18, 2000). "K I T T I E". In Depth Zine. Archived from the original on February 23, 2001. Retrieved July 20, 2024.
  23. ^ a b Raychul (July 14, 2000). "Interview with KiTTiE!". nosebleed17.com. Archived from the original on September 20, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Joseph, Peter (February 8, 2001). "Sno-core Ball hits with metal edge". The GW Hatchet. Archived from the original on February 6, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  25. ^ Kelly 2000, p. 47; McCallum 2017, 16:35–16:59
  26. ^ McCallum 2017, 16:14.
  27. ^ Kelly 2000, p. 45.
  28. ^ a b Popoff, Martin (2000). "Kittie - The Lion Speaks Tonight". HardRadio. p. 2. Archived from the original on March 5, 2001. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  29. ^ McCallum 2017, 19:51–20:18.
  30. ^ a b c Kelly 2000, p. 46.
  31. ^ a b Schwartz, Jennifer (2000). "Cat Scratch Fever: Kittie's Jagged Claws of Fury". Guitar.com. Archived from the original on November 1, 2001. Retrieved July 18, 2024.
  32. ^ McCallum 2017, 22:01–22:14.
  33. ^ Waller 2000.
  34. ^ a b Tedder, Michael (January 25, 2001). "Cat Powers". The Pitch. Archived from the original on August 15, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  35. ^ a b c d e f "Kittie Bio". Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 23, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  36. ^ a b c d Brannigan 2000, p. 39.
  37. ^ a b Muirhead 2000.
  38. ^ a b c d "The 19 Best Nu-Metal Hits of All Time". Fuse. February 11, 2015. Archived from the original on April 10, 2019. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  39. ^ a b c Sciarretto 2000, p. 3.
  40. ^ Bercovici, Jeff (October 1999). "Reviews of Unsigned, Newly Signed or Independent Label Bands". NY Rock. Archived from the original on August 20, 2001. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  41. ^ a b c Lawrence, Mike (February 24, 2014). "The 25 Best Alternative Metal Albums". Metal Descent. Archived from the original on February 4, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  42. ^ Hannaham 2002, p. 26.
  43. ^ Kalosieh, Jeanne. "Kittie – Spit (1999 Ng Records)". FEMMUSIC. Archived from the original on March 19, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  44. ^ a b c Sokal, Roman (November 30, 1999). "Kittie Spit". Exclaim!. Archived from the original on July 14, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  45. ^ a b c d e f g Blanford, Roxanne. "Spit – Kittie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on June 4, 2024. Retrieved June 4, 2024.
  46. ^ a b P., Oelania. "Kittie – Spit". Teen Ink. Brooklyn, New York, U.S. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  47. ^ Udo 2002, p. 144.
  48. ^ a b Morse, Steve (July 27, 2000). "Retail Rage". Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  49. ^ a b c d e f vanHorn, Teri (January 25, 2000). "Kittie Drummer: We're Not A 'Girl Metal Band'". MTV. Archived from the original on June 18, 2018. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  50. ^ a b c Lang, George (August 18, 2000). "Kittie makes the fur fly". The Oklahoman. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  51. ^ a b McNamara, Phil (February 8, 2001). "Hello Kittie". The Worcester Phoenix. Archived from the original on May 8, 2002. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  52. ^ Hammond, Alice (April 2000). "Interview with Talena of Kittie". NY Rock. Archived from the original on May 10, 2000. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  53. ^ Richardson, Tanya (February 3, 2000). "cd reviews". The Stranger. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  54. ^ a b Prato, Greg (October 14, 2015). "Morgan Lander of Kittie". Songfacts. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  55. ^ Teitz, Alex (February 11, 1999). "Kittie Plays the Fillmore". FEMMUSIC. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  56. ^ "Exclusive Kittie Interview". Bleeding Metal. Archived from the original on January 14, 2016. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  57. ^ Wasylyk, Adam (August 12, 1999). "CoC : Gig Review : Milwaukee, Here I Come Again". Chronicles of Chaos. Retrieved July 21, 2024.
  58. ^ a b Bromley, Adrian (September 20, 1999). "Kittie gets their claws out". Jam! Metal. Archived from the original on November 2, 2000. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via canoe.com.
  59. ^ Hay 2000, pp. 13, 16.
  60. ^ Bozza 1999, p. 18.
  61. ^ McCallum 2017, 23:45–25:51.
  62. ^ McCallum 2017, 26:25–27:40.
  63. ^ Comer 2000, p. 37.
  64. ^ Bento, Debbie (December 15, 1999). "Kittie Goes Global With Sony Music". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on March 5, 2002. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  65. ^ Anon. 1999, p. 14.
  66. ^ Anon. 2000a, p. 96.
  67. ^ Marie, Tyler. "2000". The 120 Minutes Archive. Archived from the original on May 8, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  68. ^ Anon. 2000d, p. 102.
  69. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Kittie". Billboard. Archived from the original on March 15, 2023. Retrieved March 15, 2023.
  70. ^ Chart Attack Staff (February 23, 2000). "Kittie Rock Out on Conan Tonight". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on August 19, 2010. Retrieved August 2, 2024.
  71. ^ Revolver Staff (January 11, 2022). "See Kittie's Unhinged Performance of "Brackish" on 'Conan' in 2000". Revolver. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  72. ^ "Later Episodes". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  73. ^ Anon. 2000f, p. 42.
  74. ^ "Answer me Getting personal with... Morgan Lander (Kittie)". The Guardian. July 10, 2000. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  75. ^ a b c d Mancini, Rob (April 18, 2000). "Kittie Preps Home Video, Music Video". MTV. Archived from the original on September 4, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  76. ^ Anon. 2000g; Anon. 2000h
  77. ^ Anon. 2000e, p. 28.
  78. ^ "Paperdoll - Kittie". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 8, 2017. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  79. ^ Easton, Jeff (November 18, 2003). "Interviews 2003 : Morgan & Mercedes of Kittie". The Metal Exiles (published December 8, 2003). Archived from the original on October 24, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2023.
  80. ^ Mancini, Robert (December 21, 1999). "Slipknot Teaming With Kittie For 2000 Tour". MTV News. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  81. ^ ChartAttack.com Staff (March 13, 2000). "Internet marketing sharpens claws on Kittie". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on December 23, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  82. ^ "It List: Music". Entertainment Weekly. June 30, 2000. Archived from the original on January 23, 2021. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  83. ^ Robison 2008, pp. 33–34.
  84. ^ Blabbermouth (August 19, 2003). "Kittie And Producer File New Claims In Suit Against Artemis Records". Blabbermouth.net. Archived from the original on April 7, 2023. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  85. ^ McCallum 2017, 31:30–31:41.
  86. ^ Mernagh, Matt (October 30, 2000). "Kittie Offered Slot on Tour With Pantera". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on November 10, 2000. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  87. ^ vanHorn, Teri (November 10, 2000). "Kittie Plan Own Tour Due to Sidelined Pantera Trek". MTV. Archived from the original on October 19, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  88. ^ Simon, Richard B. (January 23, 2001). "Dual SnoCore Tours Raging, Jamming Across North America". MTV. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  89. ^ a b Popoff 2007, pp. 230–231.
  90. ^ Johnson 2000.
  91. ^ Alexander 2000.
  92. ^ a b "Spit". NME. September 12, 2005. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  93. ^ Potter, Valerie (April 2000). "Reviews - Kittie Spit". Q. Archived from the original on December 3, 2000. Retrieved March 16, 2023.
  94. ^ Scheluttermann, Marcus (March 15, 2000). "Spit". Rock Hard (Vol. 155) (in German). Retrieved April 22, 2023. (subscription required)
  95. ^ a b Berger, Arion (March 30, 2000). "Kittie: Spit". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2012.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  96. ^ a b Christgau, Robert (November 28, 2000). "Consumer Guide Turkey Shoot: Where the Action Isn't". The Village Voice. Retrieved November 28, 2023 – via robertchristgau.com.
  97. ^ a b Jenkins, Mark (January 21, 2000). "Slipknot "Slipknot" Roadrunner; Kittie "Spit" Artemis". The Washington Post. p. N07. Archived from the original on September 9, 2017. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  98. ^ Dansby, Andrew (February 16, 2001). "Critic Christgau Wraps the '90s". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on February 15, 2020. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
  99. ^ Miller, Andrew (December 14, 2000). "American Top 40: Best Albums of 2000". The Pitch. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  100. ^ LeBlanc 2001.
  101. ^ Anon. 2000b, p. 96; Bouw 2001
  102. ^ Hay 2000, p. 13.
  103. ^ Anon. 2000d, p. 32.
  104. ^ "Sludge Scan For May 2000". Metal Sludge. May 3, 2000. Archived from the original on October 11, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  105. ^ Pesselnick 2000a, p. 12.
  106. ^ a b "American album certifications – Kittie – Spit". Recording Industry Association of America.
  107. ^ a b "Kittie Sues Artemis For Contract Breach". Billboard. April 1, 2003. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015. Retrieved June 15, 2021.
  108. ^ Sexton 2001, p. 74.
  109. ^ "Kittie". Official Charts Company. Archived from the original on June 17, 2018. Retrieved June 17, 2018.
  110. ^ "Kittie File Lawsuit Against Their Record Label". Blabbermouth.net. April 1, 2003. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved January 16, 2017.
  111. ^ Sperounes 2000; Bouw 2001
  112. ^ Powell, Andrew (April 10, 2000). "Come Home Kittie". Chart Attack. Archived from the original on October 4, 2001. Retrieved August 26, 2024.
  113. ^ Walschots, Natalie Zina (February 14, 2012). "Girls Don't Like Metal Interviews Morgan Lander". Canada Arts Connect. Archived from the original on February 28, 2012. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  114. ^ Lane 2001, p. 41.
  115. ^ Kendle, John (September 9, 2000). "Girls on the prowl". Winnipeg Sun. Archived from the original on August 29, 2001. Retrieved April 24, 2024 – via canoe.com.
  116. ^ a b Roberts, Michael (January 18, 2001). "Good Girls Do". Westword. Archived from the original on June 25, 2024. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  117. ^ German, Eric (2002). "Kittie". www.metalupdate.com. Retrieved July 31, 2023.
  118. ^ Wiederhorn, Jon (April 2007). "Warrior Souls". Revolver. No. 55. Future US, Inc. pp. 82–84, 86, 88. ISSN 1527-408X. Archived from the original on August 27, 2008. Retrieved July 1, 2024.
  119. ^ Begai 2007, p. 32. Mercedes: "Some people have a certain stigma about [Kittie], and I think those ideas were made based on Spit because it's our biggest selling album [...] We want to surpass [Spit] because we're tired of being only known for [that album]. I can understand why people like it, but it's time to move on."
  120. ^ Parks, Andrew (February 2007). "Kittie". Decibel (Issue 28). Archived from the original on January 15, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  121. ^ Kotz, Pete (March 21, 2007). "Talking Girl Metal from Kittie's Morgan Lander". Cleveland Scene. Archived from the original on April 13, 2023. Retrieved April 13, 2023.
  122. ^ Watkins, Gareth (February 26, 2016). "The Nu Metal Years Part 2: The Guantanamo Diaries". CVLT Nation. Archived from the original on February 28, 2016. Retrieved June 1, 2024.
  123. ^ Erickson, Anne (February 26, 2021). "Beyond the Boys' Club: Morgan Lander of Kittie". Consequence. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  124. ^ a b Mashurov, NM (April 5, 2018). "Here's To 20 Years Of Kittie". Stereogum. Retrieved May 23, 2023.
  125. ^ Brannigan, Paul; Alderslade, Merlin; Marshall, Will; published, Dave Everley; Travers, Paul (February 5, 2024). "The 50 metal albums you need to hear in 2024". Metal Hammer. Retrieved June 30, 2024 – via loudersound.
  126. ^ Thießies, Frank (July 16, 2024). "Kittie: "Melodien sind mit dem Alter noch wichtiger geworden."" [Morgan Lander (Kittie): Light and darkness, curse and blessing]. Metal Hammer (in German). Archived from the original on July 19, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  127. ^ Madden, Emma (June 27, 2024). "Spitting fire: Inside Kittie's incendiary comeback". Revolver. Archived from the original on June 27, 2024. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
  128. ^ a b Law, Sam (June 17, 2020). "The 21 greatest nu-metal albums of all time – ranked". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  129. ^ a b Lemeshow-Barooshian, Rae (January 1, 2020). "The 50 Best Nu-Metal Albums of All-Time". Loudwire. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  130. ^ Revolver Staff (April 25, 2022). "10 Heaviest Nu-Metal Songs of All Time". Revolver. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  131. ^ Steininger, Adam (July 9, 2013). "The ten most ferocious female pioneers in metal". Westword. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  132. ^ Cherry, Serena (March 8, 2019). "Serena Cherry: "Let the bullies laugh… Metal is where I belong"". Kerrang!. Retrieved April 22, 2024.
  133. ^ Carter, Emily (May 3, 2023). "Poppy unleashes crushingly heavy cover of Spit by Kittie". Kerrang!. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  134. ^ Full Metal Jackie (June 24, 2024). "Kittie's Morgan + Mercedes Lander Name Their Favorite Era in the Band". Loudwire. Retrieved June 24, 2024.
  135. ^ Zaleski, Annie (May 17, 2017). "The 30 Best Nu-Metal Songs". SPIN. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  136. ^ "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. March 13, 2023. Archived from the original on March 13, 2023. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  137. ^ Rolling Stone (March 13, 2023). "The 100 Greatest Heavy Metal Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone (82 'Spit' Kittie). Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  138. ^ Sciarretto 2007.
  139. ^ Law, Sam (July 16, 2020). "The 50 Best Albums From 2000". Kerrang!. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  140. ^ Hobson, Rich; Everley, Dave; Hammer, Metal; Alderslade, Merlin (April 1, 2022). "The 50 best nu metal albums of all time". Metal Hammer (loudersound). Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  141. ^ Revolver Staff (November 8, 2021). "20 Essential Nu-Metal Albums". Revolver. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  142. ^ Lander, Mercedes, Talena Atfield, and Tanya Candler. Spit. Perf. Morgan Lander and Fallon Bowman. Kittie. Rec. summer 1999. Garth Richardson, 2000. CD.
  143. ^ Spit (CD liner notes). Kittie. Artemis Records. 2000.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  144. ^ Sparky (September 23, 1999). "Interview - Morgan Lander from Kittie". MegaKungFu.com. Archived from the original on June 30, 2001. Retrieved June 2, 2024. Morgan: This song was written by the entire band, but is sung by Tanya...She also wrote the lyrics.
  145. ^ "Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 2000". Billboard. Archived from the original on May 26, 2018. Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  146. ^ a b "The Year in Music (2000)". Billboard. Vol. 112, no. 53. December 30, 2000. pp. YE-40, YE-44. ISSN 0006-2510.
  147. ^ McCormick 2000, p. 26.
  148. ^ Anon. (August 14, 2004). "New Releases". Music Week. No. 31. pp. 28–29.
  149. ^ "Kittie - tour & remasters!!!". www.metalmind.com.pl. September 26, 2008. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  150. ^ Sacher, Andrew. "Kittie giving 'Spit' first-ever vinyl release, hinting at more comeback shows". BrooklynVegan. Archived from the original on March 25, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  151. ^ "Spit | CD Album | Free shipping over £20". HMV Store. Archived from the original on March 14, 2023. Retrieved March 14, 2023.
  152. ^ "Kittie's "Spit" Limited Vinyl Pressing". MNRK Heavy. April 6, 2023. Retrieved May 24, 2023.
  153. ^ @MNRKHeavy (July 12, 2024). "🩸 @OFFICIALKITTIE 'Spit' Leopard Print Vinyl available NOW 🩸". X (formerly Twitter). Archived from the original on August 2, 2024. Retrieved August 2, 2024.

Bibliography

Further reading

[edit]