On
The Curse of Miss Kitty,
Trunk Federation dishes up a unique and playful style of scorching and amiable indie rock. The disc begins with the distorted singalong "Devil in a Catskin," complete with horns and fuzz pedals. On this disc, the band instantly drew favorable comparisons to
the Flaming Lips and
Mercury Rev. An ambitious amount of quirky pop hooks, mixed with Jim Andreas' offbeat vocals, results in one of the most unabashedly ecstatic indie rock discs of the late '90s. Jason Sandford adds guitar and backing vocals, while bassist Bob Smith and drummer Chris Kennedy round out the quartet. This disc features guest appearances by Walt Johnson on trumpet and flugelhorn and
Gary Herbig on saxophone and flute. Songs like "Levitations and Disappearances" and "Felicity's First Impression" have a musical carnival atmosphere, while the bizarre cover of Bob Geldoff's "I Don't Like Mondays" is an eerie sixth track. The enchanting piano instrumental "Magnifico the Magician" is followed by the swirly "Opposite Attractions." On
The Curse of Miss Kitty,
Trunk Federation's summery sound remains inventive enough to remain interesting for most of the disc. The album was recorded with producer
Alex Newport and was released on Alias Records in 1998. ~ Stephen Cramer