Английская Википедия:I've Failed You

Содержание

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

Текст

I've Failed You is the sixth studio album by Canadian heavy metal band Kittie, released on August 30, 2011, through eOne Music. Considered by the band to be their darkest and most introspective release, the album acts as a continuation of the sound featured on In the Black (2009), and features more personal and introspective lyrics that drew from various events of turmoil that vocalist and guitarist Morgan Lander experienced in the two years following the aforementioned album's release. The album was produced by Siegfried Meier and was primarily recorded at Beach Road Studios in London, Ontario; Ivy Jenkins' bass tracks were recorded separately in the United States, as immigration difficulties prevented her from travelling to Canada.

I've Failed You received mixed reviews from critics and debuted at number 178 on the US Billboard 200 chart, selling 3,000 copies in its first week. Between August 2011 and May 2012, Kittie embarked on tours of the United States, Canada and Australia. During the Australia tour in February 2012, Jenkins amicably left Kittie and was replaced by former bassist Trish Doan, who would remain with the band until her death in 2017. In 2022, Jenkins rejoined the band.

Music, writing and recording

Шаблон:Quote box Kittie has described I've Failed You as a continuation of their fifth album In the Black (2009), expanding upon its style and production, as well as their darkest, most introspective release.Шаблон:Sfn The album's lyrics drew from various events of turmoil that vocalist and guitarist Morgan Lander experienced in the two years following the release of In the Black, the most notable being the end of a decade-long relationship and the death of David Lander, Morgan and drummer Mercedes Lander's father and Kittie's manager, in 2008.Шаблон:Sfn Although Morgan found it difficult to go into detail about the album's lyrics in interviews, Mercedes would describe them as "quite literal".

Kittie began working on new material in January 2011, after taking a small hiatus following the end of their year-long international tour in support of In the Black in October 2010. The band finished writing in early March, and in mid-April 2011 they commenced the recording of I've Failed You with producer Siegfried Meier at Beach Road Studios in London, Ontario. Recording sessions lasted a total of three weeks. As with In the Black, Meier used a Studer A827 tape machine to record I've Failed YouШаблон:'s tracks; Mercedes drums, which had been recorded digitally on In the Black, were also tracked using the tape machine. Due to immigration difficulties preventing her from joining the other members of Kittie in Canada, Meier was forced to travel to the United States with a mobile recording setup to record Ivy Jenkins' bass tracks, which were recorded with no distortion so they could be run through a bass amplifier and some comps at Beach Road.Шаблон:Sfn In a 2011 interview with OnMilwaukee, Meier said that he and Kittie had joking compared the album's "bassless" sound during production to Metallica's ...And Justice for All. Despite this setback, the other members of Kittie managed to keep Jenkins as involved as possible with the album during production, sending her rough mixes as recording progressed. The band had initially planned on having Jenkins send material over to them as well, but this was scrapped due to time constraints.Шаблон:Sfn

Morgan described "We Are the Lamb" as "a tale of self-sacrifice, to give those you love a chance to grow and learn to live for themselves". Its lyrics were written by Mercedes, who, according to Morgan, "[gave] me a sheet of paper that was more of a poem. She said, "Do what you would like with it - extrapolate." "Empires, Pt. 1" and "Empires, Pt. 2" both share the same chords and structure, with the former being a solo acoustic piece written and performed by lead guitarist Tara McLeod and the latter a heavier, more aggressive song. In an interview with Revolver, Morgan said that the song was "about the fall of something that at one time was considered great and indestructible. It likens a union, or relationship to the idea of a great empire, and as history has taught us, even the most mighty and powerful of empires crumble and fall eventually. Nothing is forever."

Release

Promotion

On July 20, 2011, Kittie exclusively announced the release of I've Failed You on Noisecreep and premiered "We Are the Lamb" as its lead single. Its music video, released on August 30, 2011, was produced by MGYNYC, a video production company run by Dave Brodsky and Allison Woest, whom Kittie had previously worked with on the music videos for "Cut Throat" and "Sorrow I Know" (both off of In the Black). Mercedes described the video as the band's "take on the [1970s] italian zombie movie", with her and Morgan both noting their love of horror movies. On August 2, 2011, the album's second single, "Empires Pt. 2", was premiered through Revolver magazine's website, with a music video for the song being released on August 15, 2011.

On August 23, 2011, Kittie made I've Failed You available for streaming through Exclaim!. The album was officially released in the United States through eOne Music on August 30, 2011, and in Europe through Massacre Records on September 5, 2011. Selling 3,000 copies in its first week of release, the album debuted and peaked at number 178 on the US Billboard 200 chart. The album also made appearances on three other Billboard charts, peaking at number 10 on the Top Hard Rock Albums, number 26 on the Top Independent Albums and number 46 on the Top Rock & Alternative Albums charts.

Touring

Kittie began touring in support of I've Failed You on August 11, 2011, when they performed at the Gathering of the Juggalos in Cave-In-Rock, Illinois. From August 12 to September 21, 2011, they toured the United States, taking Dirge Within and Diamond Plate with them as support. In mid-February 2012, the band performed two shows in Canada before embarking on their first tour of Australia since 2002, between February 25 and March 5, 2012. Prior to these performances, on February 13, 2012, Kittie announced that they would be amicably parting ways with Ivy Jenkins and that Trish Doan, who played bass on the band's fourth album Funeral for Yesterday (2007), would rejoin the band following their performance at the Soundwave Festival in Sydney on February 26, 2012. Doan had previously left the band in mid-2007 after struggling with anorexia athletica-nervosa whilst on tour. McLeod said that it "was a great regret for Trish that things didn't work out for her the first time, and I think she did want that second opportunity to kind of try again. Kinda prove to herself that she could do it."Шаблон:Sfn Following the Australia tour, Kittie toured the United States and Canada again from April 10 to May 25, 2012, supported by The Agonist (from April 19 onwards), Blackguard and Bonded by Blood.

Kittie's final performance for nearly four years took place at the Spread the Metal Festival at The Opera House in Toronto on September 7, 2013—their only performance that year—after which the band went on a hiatus, citing the financial difficulties of being on tour and promoting music.Шаблон:Sfn Doan would remain with Kittie until her death on February 11, 2017; in January 2022, Jenkins rejoined the band.

Critical reception

I've Failed You received mixed reviews from critics. Exclaim!Шаблон:'s Denise Falzon referred to the album as Kittie's "most accomplished release to date", praising its production and greater cohesion of its members' talents. Scott Alisoglu of Blabbermouth.net similarly praised the album's production and dynamics, stating that it "won't irreversibly alter the face of metal, but it'll leave some nasty cuts and scratches from those permanently sharp claws." However, he felt that its mellower, alternative rock-inspired tracks—namely "Never Coming Home" and "Time Never Heals"—"[flirted] with the generic". Andreas Himmelstein and Frank Albrecht, both from Rock Hard, gave differing opinions. Himmelstein gave the album a 5 out of 10, criticizing its "total lack of ideas" and Morgan Lander's limited range, whilst Albrecht gave the album a 7.5 out of 10, finding its mix of death metal riffs and melodic vocals to be "highly entertaining".

AllMusic stated that the album "sounds nearly interchangeable with their previous releases, which may provide solace for some of the quartet's many fans, but will likely provide a whole lot of ammunition for their detractors." Carla Gillis of Now criticized the album's failure to "improve on or diverge from" Kittie's previous albums, as well as its lack of "memorable lyrics, riffs or melodies". Katharina of Metal.de felt the album was monotonous, uninspired, and lacking in focus. In a highly negative review, David Buchanan of Consequence of Sound said that the album "[offered] nothing short of mediocre hardcore ("I’ve Failed You") with a 50% sentimental 'epic' for show (the two-part "Empires")" and criticized its overall design and aesthetic, which he claimed "yields the reason some late-’90s cusp performers will never regain their footing commercially or artistically: they flat out sucked to begin with."

Track listing

All songs written by Kittie. Шаблон:Track listing

Personnel

Adapted from CD liner notes.Шаблон:Col-beginШаблон:Col-2Kittie

• Morgan Lander – lead vocals, guitars, piano
• Mercedes Lander – drums, percussion, backing vocals
• Tara McLeod – guitars
• Ivy Vujic Jenkins – bass

Production

• Siegfried Meier – production, mixing, engineering
• T-Roy – mastering (at Spectre Studios)Шаблон:Col-2Artwork
• Morgan Lander – artwork concept
• Ama Lea – photography
• Paul Grosso – creative direction
• Sean Marlowe – art direction & design

Charts

Chart (2011)	Peak position
US Billboard 200	178
US Top Hard Rock Albums (Billboard)	10
US Top Independent Albums (Billboard)	26
US Top Rock & Alternative Albums (Billboard)	46

Release history

Reigon	Label	Format	Date	Catalog #	Ref.
United States	eOne Music	Шаблон:Flatlist	August 30, 2011	EOM-CD-2153
Germany	Massacre Records		September 2, 2011	MAS CD0728
Europe			September 5, 2011

References

Notes Шаблон:Reflist Citations

Bibliography

• Шаблон:Cite news
• Шаблон:Cite newspaper
• Шаблон:Cite AV media

External links

• I've Failed You on YouTube (streamed copy where licensed)
• Шаблон:Cite AV media
• Шаблон:Cite AV media
• Шаблон:Cite AV media
• Шаблон:Cite AV media
• Шаблон:Cite web