"Lower Ratings = Better Songs" was a mixture of arsing around and pissing about, always a good pairing, introducing such black metal classics as "Bleeding Through" and "Jesus Crucified Me". "AK-47" was my teenage angst album, bringing you such party tunes as "The World's Baddest" and "Someone Bring Me Nadia Berry's Testicles On A Plate". "Kathleen Kerry" was the polar opposite, look at me I'm growing up I'm taking drugs ("Keppra") and preaching about poppy-burning ("Hate"). So what is "sufferkate", featuring the singles "disordergirl" and "Hush-A-Bye Lady"? Which side of Kate is this?
All of them. Hence the godawful punny name. You're going to be sufferkated with suffering Kates. Fans have been asking for this for a long time - this is for every fuckaaah out there who wanted to know what that mysterious last track on LR=BS was all about. You know when a song writes itself beyond your knowledge? That was "Shattered". And "sufferkate" is every fucking shard of that glass house I was singing about .... well, maybe not every shard, but all the big ones.
1. KAMIKAZE! The Ultimate Kate Mashfest!
2. disordergirl
3. Franceschi's Daisy Chains [ft. Damien Comyns]
4. Cathedral But This City Is [ft. Blazing Torch]
5. Cat & Chris [ft. Catriona Comatose & Chris Pardoe]
6. Your Mouth Will Remain Dry
7. Hush-A-Bye Lady
8. Kate's Corpse Room : Part I (Rebel Uprising)
9. Kate's Corpse Room : Part II (Untouchable)
10. Kate's Corpse Room : Part III (Because Of You)
11. Kate's Corpse Room : Part IV (Mystery Loves Company)
12. Kate's Corpse Room : Part V (sufferkate)
13. The Last Girl Left In The Kitchen [ft. B-star]
14. Shattered/Recaptured
1. KAMIKAZE! The Ultimate Kate Mashfest!Sadly, even the most hardworking and talented of producers are often overlooked. Here, the handiwork of Katie van Mouschi is impossible to miss - this is an ambient mix track, with live and unreleased pieces chosen by Kate and Katie. It frames the album, tells you what's to come; even though few songs are used ("Shattered" and "KAMIKAZE!" are the main ones, with a few others mixed in), the performances are so different. Despite this, Katie mixes them in cleverly, in a trance style ....
.... trance broken. The first single from "sufferkate", her rising from the ashes, speaking out against being called a "disordergirl" because she has a few DSM codes to her name, is one of the highlights of the album.
Kamikaze
So the diagnosis is ready DSM label on my head see
Nothing beyond my string of numbers denoting with what I am lumbered
Think that's all then you should be ashamed is it too much to give me a name
I do have a personality beyond lack of functionalityFor anyone who has any sort of "disorder", whether it's an illness, an addiction or just a different mind, those words are sure to ring true. Beyond the lyrics, the song feels like you're on a guitar-shaped rollercoaster, speeding up, slowing down, high notes, low notes, you're never sure where the "kamikaze" will take you next. (Just like Kate.)
3. Franceschi's Daisy ChainsAfter a moment of silence, we hear a few seconds of laughter, then a piano solo (provided by Damien Comyns). The intro gives way to Kate softly strumming her guitar as if she only just learned to play. She sings softly but on edge, more reminiscent of Kate Bush than Kamikaze Kate. The words are a little confusing.
Life's so perfect when you don't you don't know what's going on
Behind the curtains of fear and pain
Smile and tell me one more time one more time while your love still shines
And I don't know I won't hear it again
These are Franceschi's daisy chainsKate says that this'll make sense by the end of the album. Either way, her harmonies don't - erm, Kate, newsflash, you're not Beyoncé. But somehow, the rawness of it all, and Kate trying what she's not used to, adds something to the song. Not sure what.
4. Cathedral But This City IsThe church bell rings for a song that has everything - perfectly polished Kate vocals and bass; lyrics that are catchy, strong and meaningful at the same time; and last but by no means least, Kate followers Blazing Torch's first entry into the music world. These three California guys, while still maintaining their status as "creepy", are talented to extremes, and don't seem to miss a beat. Kate has explained the words of "Cathedral But This City Is" - she says that they're about people and cults which brainwash you into thinking the wrong thing (eg. "God Hates Fags"), an issue which she feels very strongly about.
Kate : Do I get to believe beyond the words you say
If I had sense I'd leave but I can't go away
Will you ever let me breathe
Mason : Oh that'll be the day
Kate : The world's not your cathedral
Both : But this city is
Kate : The world may not believe you but I me us and we doA perfect musical pairing. Mason sounds like he's captured Kate - and Kate sounds like she's captured you. "The world may not believe you, but I, me, us and we do" will be stuck in your head for days after you hear this. A strong candidate for third single.
5. Cat & Chrisla la la la la la la la.... that's what most of the words are. And the song is called "Cat & Chris" because Kate is backed by her sister Catriona Comatose and Blazing Torch third wheel Chris Pardoe. Not that exciting, huh? Oh, but it is! Even if, like me, you've got such bad eczema that it hurts to smile, you can't help it while listening to this. DAMN YOU KATE! The slap-bass, the clapping, the very random words (which, when they're not la-las, seem to be about a picnic, can't quite make it out) and best of all, the flugelhorn duet at the end, make you want to get up and dance. This pop song just breathes happiness.
6. Your Mouth Will Remain DryWere you a fan of the "old skool" Kate? Did you cry when "Kathleen Kerry" came out and it was more grunge than black metal? Then this is the song for you! Kate rocks out as she screams about those days in the way she always used to. You feel like you're listening to preteen Kate screeching a song about her first period, or the secret illegal fetishes of Jesus Christ. Amen to that. (The title, by the way, pays homage to Kate's mentor Nick Biggs's dirty posters, which were printed with this phrase.)
Halfway through the album, and to the second single from "sufferkate". Kate called this "like fucking 'Shattered' all over again" when it was released; a song which she felt that she had to write, rather than one which she chose to. "Hush-A-Bye Lady" is one of the deepest, saddest songs on the album, about being abused, and made to feel like a worthless person, despite what the truth is. Kate performs this solo, with no mixing.
Don't act like you have a choice
Scream with that pretty voice
Get down get in get in the bin
Watch the trash around you fall
The backdrop for what you're worth is ready
So hush-a-bye lady8. Kate's Corpse Room : Part I (Rebel Uprising)And so, we enter Kate's Corpse Room, a story of the complicated love life of a child star. First is "Rebel Uprising", and it's for fans of - erm, Rebel Uprising. If you're missing Gemma Ferns on the scene, Kate does a damn good impression of her here, and she knows it. Gemma was a love icon, and that's what Kate felt like she was when she was with my late nephew Alex. This is her serenade, her memorial song.
9. Kate's Corpse Room : Part II (Untouchable)You are pawns in my game I dispense lightning from my fingertips
I stick my fingers down your throats believe it fuckers because it's true
Do you think that you're untouchableThis reworked version of the Moronic Changeling song "Untouchable" is an extremely strange choice for Kate's song for Jimmy Bishop. Jimmy had a lot to do with The Purger, but not exactly happy memories. Kate screams out the words as if she is The Purger herself, about to etch the Chaos symbol on another unwitting victim. The bass is very heavy, enough to give someone tinnitus. It includes drumming using a floormop. Kate claims that she has no memory of recording this, but wanted it on here.
10. Kate's Corpse Room : Part III (Because Of You)In "Because Of You", Kate sings about the love/hate relationship which she had with Cassie Summers. After stepping into the shoes of Gemma Ferns and then The Purger, this time, Kate's sound takes on the qualities of Cassie's magazine persona. You wouldn't want to meet this strong screamer in a dark alley if she had a vendetta against you - which she probably does. But still, throughout the song, there's a heart fluttering, that of a best friend - or a lover longing for "Kamicassie" never to end.
I'm a zombie for you I'll do everything you say
I still love you although you fuck with me every day
This love for you is real what you say is what I do
I've laid down my life and it's all because of you11. Kate's Corpse Room : Part IV (Mystery Loves Company)As if "sufferkate" wasn't bad enough! Honestly .... but Josh's dedicated piece of the Corpse Room slides back to what we expect, cooling down and becoming a more realistic Kathleen Kerry, the one who fell in love with pop-rock, ready to make LR=BS fans cry again. A breath of fresh air, this isn't overly romantic, but it isn't suicidal either, which is a nice change from the Corpse Room so far. Not to mention that for once, her guitar seems to be in tune. What the actual fuck, Kate.
12. Kate's Corpse Room : Part V (sufferkate)This song is so mixed-up. Kate fades to black as we meet Franceschi again, recognisable from the immature guitar and country voice. For the first verse and chorus of the title track, Franceschi sings alone, about her best friend Lucy. She's telling a story, of how Lucy saved her life by giving up her own. The child persona works well for a short time, but grown-up Kate joins her, layering her voice and guitar with Franceschi's. This one is more rocky, similar to Kate in some of her earlier work. Finally, the bass joins in, and another Kate - the polished pop-rocker of today. With all three Kate alter egos performing, it turns into a real "lighter-waving" anthem.
So you can love hate suffocate
Inhale before it's too late
And leave a light on for Lucy
And you can cry fear disappear
Let her take the danger near
Yes turn your light off to Lucy
Leave a light on for meThe last line, sung a cappella and only at the end, is in a child Kate's voice, but not Franceschi's, and sends a chill down your spine. Kate claims that "sufferkate" was the hardest to record, but her favourite track.
13. The Last Girl Left In The KitchenAfter 10 seconds of eerie silence, we exit the Corpse Room and go back to tracks with no death in them. This song, Kate says, is about how she suddenly decided to get off her arse and put the album together. The song opens with a quick rap battle, featuring the B-star herself! (As well as Katie van Mouschi laughing and clapping in the background. Did I say that she was professional?) After that, the guitar, bass and ukulele (played by me!) get going, and in a total pot/kettle situation, Kate and I say that even if you are a musician, you should get on with your work, for the fans if nothing else.
Kate : We know that sometimes it takes that slap in the face
Bikki : That fall down the stairs that arm round the waist
Kate : But why waste your time bewitching
Fans who feed you their souls keep you out of a hole
Bikki : With no undying love you'd be out on the dole
Kate : The last girl left in the kitchenThis is probably one of the songs more likely to sell, and would definitely be a good choice for a single. It's Kate and B-star bitch!
14. Shattered/RecapturedAnd finally, to the end of Kate's fourth album, and back to the beginning. This is another trance mix - over the original "Shattered" from 2006, pieces of all the songs on the album are put together. You hear a taste of everything you've just encountered. "The point of this track was to let the listener sum up 'sufferkate'," says Katie van Mouschi, who is back to being professional. "Fix the pieces of Kate together in the way you like." Do they even fit together!? Work it out for yourself.
This is one of the strangest albums that I have ever heard. The concept's crystal clear, the genre couldn't be less so. Though they flow together well, you'd have to be a really hardcore Kate fan to like every track - and, conversely, a really hardcore Kate hater to dislike every track. (My personal favourites are "disordergirl", "Cathedral But This City Is", "sufferkate" and, no bias at all, "The Last Girl Left In The Kitchen".) Will this sell well? I really don't know, and it's not often that I don't know stuff. This is freaky. :\
