Two (Miss Kittin & The Hacker album)
Encyclopedia
Two is the second album by the reunited duo Miss Kittin
& The Hacker
released in 2009 by Miss Kittin's label Nobody's Bizzness
.
. The music video for "Hometown" was directed by Régis Brochier of 7th floor Productions. Miss Kittin & The Hacker reunited for a European tour in 2008, but they also toured throughout America and around the world, before they both started recording new songs, some of which were performed whilst touring. Several of the songs that they composed while on tour were included on the album Two.
. David Abravanel from PopMatters
opined that "Two is as nakedly honest and lush an album as either party involved has made. [...] the record is a fantastic progression for Miss Kittin & The Hacker, managing to preserve what made them great partners in the first place, while gracefully maturing into something more multifaceted and emotionally open. Tom Naylor, writing for NME
, commented that the album "finds them little changed. The Hacker is still a dab hand at dark electro, his rich, chewy tracks bubbling like molasses in a cauldron; Miss Kittin still veers close to self-parody (see 'Ray Ban') and they still sound best – 'Party In My Head', 'Emotional Interlude', a delicious, Europop cover of 'Suspicious Minds' – when they allow light, and vulnerability, to penetrate the gloom." URB remarked that "It seems as though they’re as strong as ever. Is the production skeletal? You could say that. There isn’t really a reason why that should be an issue though. Less is often more: any electro-head should know this to be true." Resident Advisor
's Stéphane Girard opined, "In the end, Two isn't a massive step forward, but it isn't a step backward either. 'Suspicious Minds' aside, though, there is an air of self-confidence emanating from the songs collected on here that wasn't present eight years ago." In a review for XLR8R
, Rob Geary stated, "Despite the ridiculously blank 'Ray Ban,' enough of Two excites by delving deeper into the subconscious (the crashing, Nord-led aggression of 'Indulgence') or stepping out into the sunlight (a goofy, cheerful cover of 'Suspicious Minds') to justify marking a calendar eight years from now for a Three." Angela Shawn-Chi Lu from Venus Zine
stated, "Abstract expressionism has finally met its electro-clash match. At times experimental with instrumental song intros and abstrusely minimalist with their lyrics, French duo Miss Kittin & The Hacker would do Franz Kline proud with their knack for scrumptious, slaptastic tunes ideal for the BDSM scene.
Conversely, The Independent
s Simon Price noted that "the temptation to revisit that blueprint – Kittin, the elegantly bored Euro-siren, meshing with Hacker's chattering techno textures – has eventually proven overwhelming. While Two never hits those heights, it has its club-friendly moments." Moreover, The Guardian
s Alex Macpherson concluded that "on last year's sleek BatBox
, she proved there was life in a shtick that, by rights, should have burned out half a decade ago in the dying embers of electroclash. But even as she pulled it off against the odds, one sensed the line between success and failure was being cut ever finer; and, in hooking up with her original partner in crime, The Hacker, Kittin has fallen on the wrong side of it." David Raposa from Pitchfork Media
described the album "as a supposed remembrance of the heyday of electroclash, it's a nostalgia trip that's best left untaken." Eric Henderson, writing for Slant Magazine
, commented that when compared to the duo's First Album
, "The words are flatter, the music is more generically attractive, and maybe we're all getting a little too old for this club."
in August 2009.
Miss Kittin & The Hacker filmed a promotional music video for their cover of "Suspicious Minds
", which was directed by Régis Brochier of 7th floor Productions. "Suspicious Minds" was later featured on the downloadable for free mixtape
Skull of Dreams by Little Boots
.
Miss Kittin
Miss Kittin is an electronic music DJ, vocalist, and songwriter. Since rising to prominence in 1998 for her singles "1982" and "Frank Sinatra" with The Hacker, she has worked with other musicians such as Chicks on Speed, Felix da Housecat and Golden Boy...
& The Hacker
The Hacker
Michel Amato, better known by the stage name The Hacker, is a French electroclash and techno producer who has worked extensively with Miss Kittin. His work has been influenced by Electro artists like Kraftwerk, New Wave artists such as The Cure and Depeche Mode, as well as the French rave scene of...
released in 2009 by Miss Kittin's label Nobody's Bizzness
Nobody's Bizzness
Nobody's Bizzness is an French independent record label founded by Miss Kittin....
.
Background and development
In 2007, Miss Kittin & The Hacker reunited to release the single "Hometown / Dimanche" through Good Life RecordingsGood Life Recordings
Good Life Recordings is a record label based in Belgium. It was founded in 1996 by Edward Verhaeghe who had been the lead vocalist in Nations On Fire. The label specializes in hardcore bands. It has released many highly significant bands of the second and third wave of hardcore, as well as the...
. The music video for "Hometown" was directed by Régis Brochier of 7th floor Productions. Miss Kittin & The Hacker reunited for a European tour in 2008, but they also toured throughout America and around the world, before they both started recording new songs, some of which were performed whilst touring. Several of the songs that they composed while on tour were included on the album Two.
Critical reception
Two received generally favorable reviews. The album holds a score of 62 out of 100 on the review aggregator website MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
. David Abravanel from PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
opined that "Two is as nakedly honest and lush an album as either party involved has made. [...] the record is a fantastic progression for Miss Kittin & The Hacker, managing to preserve what made them great partners in the first place, while gracefully maturing into something more multifaceted and emotionally open. Tom Naylor, writing for NME
NME
The New Musical Express is a popular music publication in the United Kingdom, published weekly since March 1952. It started as a music newspaper, and gradually moved toward a magazine format during the 1980s, changing from newsprint in 1998. It was the first British paper to include a singles...
, commented that the album "finds them little changed. The Hacker is still a dab hand at dark electro, his rich, chewy tracks bubbling like molasses in a cauldron; Miss Kittin still veers close to self-parody (see 'Ray Ban') and they still sound best – 'Party In My Head', 'Emotional Interlude', a delicious, Europop cover of 'Suspicious Minds' – when they allow light, and vulnerability, to penetrate the gloom." URB remarked that "It seems as though they’re as strong as ever. Is the production skeletal? You could say that. There isn’t really a reason why that should be an issue though. Less is often more: any electro-head should know this to be true." Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor
Resident Advisor is an online electronic music magazine dedicated to the global dance music scene. The website won a People's Voice award in the 12th Annual Webby Awards in 2008.-Site History:...
's Stéphane Girard opined, "In the end, Two isn't a massive step forward, but it isn't a step backward either. 'Suspicious Minds' aside, though, there is an air of self-confidence emanating from the songs collected on here that wasn't present eight years ago." In a review for XLR8R
XLR8R
XLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
, Rob Geary stated, "Despite the ridiculously blank 'Ray Ban,' enough of Two excites by delving deeper into the subconscious (the crashing, Nord-led aggression of 'Indulgence') or stepping out into the sunlight (a goofy, cheerful cover of 'Suspicious Minds') to justify marking a calendar eight years from now for a Three." Angela Shawn-Chi Lu from Venus Zine
Venus Zine
Venus Zine is a quarterly internationally circulated magazine covering women in music, film, art, entertainment, literature, fashion, indie culture and DIY culture.Venuszine.com is the daily updated online companion to the magazine...
stated, "Abstract expressionism has finally met its electro-clash match. At times experimental with instrumental song intros and abstrusely minimalist with their lyrics, French duo Miss Kittin & The Hacker would do Franz Kline proud with their knack for scrumptious, slaptastic tunes ideal for the BDSM scene.
Conversely, The Independent
The Independent
The Independent is a British national morning newspaper published in London by Independent Print Limited, owned by Alexander Lebedev since 2010. It is nicknamed the Indy, while the Sunday edition, The Independent on Sunday, is the Sindy. Launched in 1986, it is one of the youngest UK national daily...
s Simon Price noted that "the temptation to revisit that blueprint – Kittin, the elegantly bored Euro-siren, meshing with Hacker's chattering techno textures – has eventually proven overwhelming. While Two never hits those heights, it has its club-friendly moments." Moreover, The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Alex Macpherson concluded that "on last year's sleek BatBox
BatBox
-Charts:-External links:** at YouTube...
, she proved there was life in a shtick that, by rights, should have burned out half a decade ago in the dying embers of electroclash. But even as she pulled it off against the odds, one sensed the line between success and failure was being cut ever finer; and, in hooking up with her original partner in crime, The Hacker, Kittin has fallen on the wrong side of it." David Raposa from Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media
Pitchfork Media, usually known simply as Pitchfork or P4k, is a Chicago-based daily Internet publication established in 1995 that is devoted to music criticism and commentary, music news, and artist interviews. Its focus is on underground and independent music, especially indie rock...
described the album "as a supposed remembrance of the heyday of electroclash, it's a nostalgia trip that's best left untaken." Eric Henderson, writing for Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
, commented that when compared to the duo's First Album
First Album (Miss Kittin & The Hacker album)
-Personnel:*Michel Amato - programming*F. Holzer - photography*Miss Kittin - vocals, vibraphone...
, "The words are flatter, the music is more generically attractive, and maybe we're all getting a little too old for this club."
Singles
- "PPPO" was released as the album's first single on March 13, 2009.
- "1000 Dreams1000 Dreams"1000 Dreams" is a song performed by French recording duo Miss Kittin & The Hacker, taken from their second studio album, Two. It was released in April 2009, as the album's second single by Nobody's Bizzness. "1000 Dreams" became a minor hit in Belgium, where it reached top-twenty on the Flanders...
" was released as the album's second single on April 3, 2009. The song became a minor hit in Belgium, where it reached top-twenty on the Flanders Ultratip chart. The music video was directed by Régis Brochier of 7th floor Productions in January 2009.
- "Party in My HeadParty in My Head"Party in My Head" is a song by French recording duo Miss Kittin & The Hacker. It is the third and final single from their second album as a duo Two .-Critical reception:...
" was released as the third and final single on June 19, 2009. XLR8RXLR8RXLR8R is a magazine and website thatcovers music, culture, style, and technology. It was founded as anewsprint ‘zine in 1993 by publisher Andrew Smith in Seattle; themagazine currently has offices in San Francisco and New York...
offered a free download of the Thieves Like Us remix of the single on its website.
Promotion
Miss Kittin & The Hacker toured as part of the festival Get Loaded In The ParkGet Loaded In The Park
Get Loaded in the Park is an inner-city music festival held on Clapham Common in London annually since 2004. It was held on the August Bank Holiday Sunday until 2010 when the festival took a years sabbatical, before returning in 2011 with a new date of Sunday 12th June.In its original format it was...
in August 2009.
Miss Kittin & The Hacker filmed a promotional music video for their cover of "Suspicious Minds
Suspicious Minds
"Suspicious Minds" is a song written by American songwriter Mark James that, after the failure of his own recording, was handed to Elvis Presley by producer Chips Moman becoming one of his most notable hits and a number one in 1969, "Suspicious Minds" was widely regarded as the single that returned...
", which was directed by Régis Brochier of 7th floor Productions. "Suspicious Minds" was later featured on the downloadable for free mixtape
Mixtape
A Mix Tape or Mixed Tape is a compilation of songs recorded in a specific order, traditionally onto an audio Compact Cassette.A Mix Tape, which usually reflects the musical tastes of its compiler, can range from a casually selected list of favorite songs, to a conceptual mix of songs linked by a...
Skull of Dreams by Little Boots
Little Boots
Victoria Christina Hesketh, also known by her stage name/pseudonym Little Boots, is an English electropop singer-songwriter. Her stage name comes from a nickname given to her by a friend, a reference to her unusually small feet...
.
Track listing
Charts
| Chart (2009) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgian Alternative Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
48 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
87 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
102 |
External links
- "Hometown" at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
- "Suspicious Minds" (Promotional video) at YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....