Miss Kittin

With 2001's Miss Kittin & the Hacker, namesake Miss K became an important figure in the "electroclash" movement that set hipsters' hearts aflutter with punkish attitude, sparse synthetic rhythms and rough, sex-charged lyrics. On "Frank Sinatra," Miss K demanded fellatio in broken English and a German accent, simultaneously spawning a hit in dancehalls and bedrooms alike. But now that she's struck out on her own with I Com, it seems as though the party's over. The record offers nothing new for anyone familiar with electronic music since the mid-'90s; it's simply filled with blips, beats and her trademark spoken-not-sung delivery. It's a collection of electrical tape and wires, pulsing predictably and featuring affected misogynist-shock lyrics that now sound trite. "Dub Like Me" is the best track here, as it conjures an atmosphere with ticking beats and drone ambience, but even then it's nothing but Massive Attack's "Angel" without the catharsis. This is not a grand statement from a modern counterculture diva. This is a record by a glorified vinyl spinner.