During this period he concentrated on touring Britain and mainland Europe and graced the stage with record collection heroes such as Television and Yo La Tengo. He befriended tour mates Arab Strap and Tindersticks, discovered during a crazy weekend at Glastonbury that harmony-pop lovelies The Magic Numbers were his biggest fans and was invited by David Bowie to perform at the Bowie curated Meltdown Festival at Royal Festival Hall in 2002. Then came Square One (WEA) in 2003; the soundtrack to falling in love, and The Black & Red Notebook (Rough Trade, 2005) which was, quite simply, a covers album. A snapshot tribute to a record collection, with fascinating gimmick-free Kitt-style workovers of Sonic Youth, Thin Lizzy, JJ Cale et al. 2006’s return to original material, Not Fade Away (Rough Trade) captured an artist dealing with the post-relationship whirlwind of excess and contemplation. His most recent album is The Nightsaver, his sixth LP. The result of two years of late-night experimentation and 80-hour weeks, caught in the reverie of writing and recording in a home studio at the top of a winding staircase somewhere along Dublin’s Grand Canal. Without any of the baggage of collaboration or record company influence he allowed his natural influences to filter through this collection of, what are essentially, concise songs. The free-flowing nuances of disco, Kraftwerk, 90’s house music, hip-hop of all eras and the evolving legacy of crafted synth-pop from Hall & Oates to Junior Boys can be heard throughout. Perhaps The Nightsaver’s most significant breakthrough is that of David’s role as producer, an evolving process in which he learned to trust his instincts, his skills and his own ears. He embraced the spontaneity of these early hours sessions, capturing moments of loose musicianship or slightly out of tune singing, marrying unlikely electronic rhythms with classic pop-crafted melodies. The only guest is the apparitional voice of Waterford artist Katie Kim on Beat A Retreat and Don’t Wake Me Up. Otherwise it’s all David. From the dreamy chimes of opener Move It On, through the clipped disco swagger of It’s Yours and the breathtaking mantra-style vocals and spitting electronic distrotion of Learning To Say Goodbye right through to the creaky folk-blues hip-hop of No Truth In Your Eyes, The Nightsaver is very much David Kitt’s clean slate record. Since mid-2007, David has also been playing more upbeat electronic music with his brother, Robbie under the psuedonym Spilly Walker David Kitt has also recently joined Tindersticks on their Falling Down A Mountain album and tour. |
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