The MG Album Club- #46- Kitchens of Distinction- The Death of Cool

[Nickyboy]

This was almost a no-brainer for me. I have mentioned Kitchens of Distinction a few times before on this site and it's earlier iteration as being a favorite 90s band of mine. Call it dream pop, call it shoegaze (<----actually, don't), call it jangle-core if you dare. Kitchens of Distinction has a sound that can best be described as lush. Layers of guitars and reverb create a wall of sound that would make Phil Spector sit up and take notice. They also know how and when to slow things down and be a bit quieter. I like all of their albums, but find "The Death of Cool" to be their most consistent. And I am glad to see that Spotify now has their full catalog available for listening.
From the sonic assault of the opening track, "What Happens Now?", you are off and running with Kitchens of Distinction. And it only gets better as the album goes on.

 

[Unsomnambulist]

This had a nice mellow vibe and no, it's definitely not shoegaze.

 

[Old Uncle Toe]

As mentioned elsewhere, I went from Mogwai to this, which was kind of a jolt. So I handed this album a handicap right off the bat. It took a track or two to let the Mogwai euphoria dissipate from recollection and let this stand on its own.

I'm not a dream pop guy. I don't mind the music, I just haven't latched on to the genre to know what I'm listening to.

I liked this. I liked the many layers of synthesizers (?) and guitars. I like how they change the dynamics back and forth from overload of instruments and reverb to just the singer and a single un-processed guitar or bass, then the drums come back in and the rest of the wall of sound follows. They have a knack for pulling it back to accentuate some part of the song then pulling the stops back out and letting it fly. I like how on some tracks there are big, wet guitars in the background and one clean one in the foreground. Nice contrast. What fun music!

And as Unsom mentioned, while there's still so much going on, it's not overly energetic. It didn't tire me out to listen to it. But it also didn't put me to sleep. Nice middle ground, Goldilocks. Final thought - on the last track I realized there was a saxophone. Was that there in other tracks? Now I'm listening a second time through for that, and just to listen again. Well, and to try to figure out the instruments making that big sound. One track of guitars? Two, three? Synthesizers? Hark, do I hear a violin? What is the drummer doing to augment the dynamic changes?

I don't know what routines in my life I'd accompany with dream pop. (I would not call it shoegaze.) But I definitely enjoyed this. Nicky, is this your favorite of their discography or just the one you picked because it matched the year you were given?

Good pick. Thanks for exposing me to this band!

 

[Nickyboy]

Nicky, is this your favorite of their discography or just the one you picked because it matched the year you were given?

Good pick. Thanks for exposing me to this band!

I am glad you liked it! And yes, it is my favorite album of theirs. Their first album (Love is Hell- 1989) sounds like something from a completely different band (very heavy dub, echo, and plodding). Their second album (Strange Free World- 1991) is a very close second for me as best and has a very similar sound to "Death of Cool". Worth checking out if you liked this one. Their third album, "Cowboys and Aliens" (1994) is very hit or miss. I haven't heard their reunion album, "Folly" (2013).

 

[Ojai Sam]

Toe nailed this one for me and set my mind to working, always a dangerous activity.

"The Death of Cool" is so far outside my wheelhouse that I don't have much context for it. In writing the preceding sentence, I realized that my approach to new music is usually a process of contextualization, both stylistic and historical. So it's a healthy stretch for me to hear new music that I can't compare to something familiar.

I liked this. I liked the many layers of synthesizers (?) and guitars. I like how they change the dynamics back and forth from overload of instruments and reverb to just the singer and a single un-processed guitar or bass, then the drums come back in and the rest of the wall of sound follows. They have a knack for pulling it back to accentuate some part of the song then pulling the stops back out and letting it fly. I like how on some tracks there are big, wet guitars in the background and one clean one in the foreground. Nice contrast. What fun music!

Thanks, Nick. As usual you brought us some real food for thought!

 

[axolotl]

I am somewhat familiar with Strange Free World, Nicky having recommended this group to me in the past, such that I purchased that CD. This is very much like it, to my mind.

OUT nailed the description on the dismount. The guitar washes are shoegaze-like, with overdriven guitars, but it is not that. It is very much dream-pop and jangle-pop, as better descriptors.

ETA: 3.75 stars, so let's make it a solid