Kitchens Of Distinction

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(L-R) Julian Swales, Patrick Fitzgerald and Dan Goodwin

Kitchens of Distinction (aka KOD) was a British trio formed in London 1986. Band members: Patrick Fitzgerald (vocals, bass), Julian Swales (guitar), Dan(iel) Goodwin (drums) (all born in '64). While still active they never hit any big sales or high charts but the band has become a major source of inspiration for bands and artists later on. Actually, I had my troubles in accepting the sound of Interpol as they blew everyone over with their critically acclaimed debut Turn on the Bright Lights (2002), more than ten years after KOD's debut, and had a whole world kneeling for a sound that really was built on two of my favourite bands characteristics: Joy Division and KOD. With the emergence of new post-punk bands with references to British dream pop and shoegaze in the new millennium, KOD had a revival, or their reputation and albums had. Although, they haven't reformed, rumour has it that members of the band are writing songs together again. I was particularly extremely fond of their first three albums only. Actually, after listening to their fourth album Cowboys and Aliens (1994) upon its release, I was so disappointed that I simply never bought the album until a few years ago. I thought it was way too much indifferent pop with all the characteristics of dream pop and shoegaze completely gone. Eventually, as I said, I bought the last studio release as well. I had read lots of good reviews and decided I could have been wrong about my then verdict. So, I bought it without listening to it and was positively surprised as I put it on... although, I understand my reservations at the time of the release. I had been hoping for some return to the initial sound and their two best albums, and then this further approach into dream pop with more focus on 'pop' but it's not bad, not at all.
The group disbanded after 10 years in 1996. And yes, in the aftermath this band has been praised and has gained much more recognition than when they released and played together. I know several artists who has had a similar experience, but still, the fine position they hold today is rather noteworthy. In the early 2000s the whole music scene was overtaken by a post-punk, dream pop, shoegaze, and noise pop revival with prominent bands like Interpol, Editors, Snow Patrol, The Bravery, Bloc Party, and with post rock and progressive bands like Muse, Mogwai, and Sigur Rós - all bands and artists who play and experiment with some of the same ways of expression as one will find in the music of KOD. It's not to say that they invented a genre or style as such. They were themselves clearly inspired by noise pop, post-punk and the indie scene (The Jesus and Mary Chain, Sonic Youth) and they developed a unique style founded on the sort of guitar sound of The Chameleons, Cocteau Twins and My Bloody Valentine, although KOD's music was much more based on up-tempo beats and melodic arrangements. Songs and lyrics are what many tend to focus on when listening to 'pop' music, and in the case with KOD this is what make critics reject the band. Patrick Fitzgerald's lyrics is / were often about gay issues but in what way is this an issue when the strength of their music is... their music? The sound they produce, regardless textual analysis of lyrics, is their music - which is not to say it wouldn't have mattered if they had praised a Lord Almighty, or the Nazis, as they obviously didn't. Some music is just not all about lyrics (this is not Leonard Cohen or Robert Zimmerman!) and I generally tend to focus on music's emotional effect. For me it doesn't really matter if Fitzgerald sings about killing Margaret Thatcher with a lethal injection ("Margaret's Injection" on the ep Elephantine, 1989) or how being gay or sexual experiences are a huge source of inspiration for writing songs ("Prize", "Hammer", "Within the Daze of Passion", "Breathing Fear", and "When in Heaven") when it's expressed and accompanied with brilliant sound of music BUT on the other hand it only becomes a secondary experience digging into that,; AND: life experiences are not that strange a source to dig from when writing music...
Kitchens of Distinction is one of my all-time favourite bands. I still listen to all of their albums occasionally, despite the fact that their music is 19-24 years old and part of a stylistic evolution. For me, it still holds and if not as refreshingly new at least as highly original and uplifting music that I still find emotionally touching.

My own Kitchens of Distinction collection of vinyl and cd albums (1989-1994)

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