Over the course of their career, the band has released five studio albums - "Love is Hell" (1989), "Strange Free World" (1991), "The Death of Cool" (1992), "Cowboys and Aliens" (1994), and "Folly" (2013).
Dan Goodwin (drums) met Julian Swales (guitar) at college in 1980, and Swales met Patrick Fitzgerald (vocals/bass guitar) at a party in 1985.The trio began rehearsing together that same year, taking their name from a company of the same name that specialised in home decor and kitchen and plumbing fixtures after Swales spotted one of their advertisements on the side of a bus while riding his bike. The Kitchens' first single, "The Last Gasp Death Shuffle" (which featured Swales on lead vocals and bass, as well as guitar) was recorded in just one day on an eight-track in a Kennington basement, and was released in December 1987 on the band's own Gold Rush Records. It was named a single of the week in the NME, and led to the band signing with the British indie label One Little Indian Records; it was around this time that Fitzgerald, a medical doctor, put his career on hold to devote himself fully to the band. Their first singles for One Little Indian, 1988's "Prize" and 1989's "The 3rd Time We Opened the Capsule", made it onto the "NME Writers' 100 Best Indie Singles Ever" list, published 25 July 1992.
Their first full-length album, Love Is Hell, was released in April 1989. Fitzgerald's impassioned, wordy, often bluntly personal vocals careened over what sounded like a mass of swirling guitars, though the band only had one guitarist. Swales' chiming, effects-laden style of playing drew him comparisons to the guitarists of The Chameleons, Cocteau Twins, and A.R. Kane. KOD's melodic yet abstract sound was a precursor to the shoegazing scene of the late 1980s/early 1990s.
Despite the promising start, the band faced a subdued reception from the mainstream music industry, generally due to their lyrical content. For instance, "Margaret's Injection", on the 1989 Elephantine EP, was a fantasy about killing then-Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. Also, Fitzgerald was openly gay, and his lyrics were unapologetic, especially on tracks like "Prize" and "Within the Daze of Passion". Even the more indie-focused television programs like Snub TV and Rapido failed to give them much coverage, although Snub TV played the video for their 1991 single "Drive That Fast". Likewise, they were not offered a John Peel radio session, although they eventually did get one after asking Peel personally, following a Glastonbury performance which he appreciated.
Kitchens of Distinction sometimes performed "secret" gigs under the alter ego Toilets of Destruction.[2][6] An example was at The Bull & Gate in Kentish Town on 6 August 1990, where the band appeared in drag and played ABBA, David Bowie, and Bauhaus covers.
In 1990, they signed with A&M Records in the US, and went into the studio with producer Hugh Jones (Simple Minds, Echo & the Bunnymen, The Undertones). Their second album, Strange Free World, was released in February 1991, and spawned some moderately successful singles in "Drive That Fast" and "Quick as Rainbows", both of which were very well received by college radio in the US. The band went back into the studio in 1992, again with Jones at the helm, and their third album The Death of Cool came out in August that year; it was named in honour of the passing of Miles Davis, who had released an influential album titled The Birth of the Cool in 1950. A&M balked at the band's choice of "Breathing Fear" for the first single, due to its touchy subject matter (gay bashing), so "Smiling" became the album's initial single in the US. The band toured extensively, including a high-profile slot opening for their US labelmate Suzanne Vega, whose album 99.9F° came out within a few weeks of theirs.
Later in 1993, KOD began work on their fourth album, co-producing it themselves with engineer Pete Bartlett. One Little Indian rejected the album twice, and eventually, both label and band agreed to bring in up-and-coming producer Pascal Gabriel to work on a couple of tracks. One of the label's complaints about the album as the band originally submitted it was that they felt it lacked a potential hit single, so Gabriel produced a new song ("Come on Now") that the band had written after the rest of the album had already been recorded; Gabriel also remixed two of the album's other tracks (the opener "Sand on Fire" and first single "Now It's Time to Say Goodbye"). The resulting album, Cowboys and Aliens, was released in the UK in October 1994, and although the band admitted that they enjoyed working with Gabriel, the changes did nothing to help the album's dismal sales. When the album saw its US release in early 1995, it was largely ignored by the same alternative rock radio and media that had championed them just a few years before. By the end of 1995, both A&M and OLI had dropped the band.
Shortening their name to Kitchens O.D. and signing to the London-based indie label Fierce Panda Records, they issued a single, "Feel My Genie" in May 1996, which was named "Single of the Week" by Melody Maker, but they officially disbanded that summer after a farewell gig at London's Kings Cross.
In September 2012, Fitzgerald announced that he and Swales had recorded and were in the process of editing ten new songs. The reunited trio of Fitzgerald, Swales, and Goodwin released their fifth studio album Folly, their first new album in 19 years, on 30 September 2013
Can
Kitchens of Distinction Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'm the ocean,
Float within me.
When I look at you
Your brilliant smile stops time,
Intoxicates me.
In moments of you,
Nothing ripples, nothing sways.
This tender love feeds my days,
Damn these foolish childish ways.
What use are these words?
What use are these lips?
My lips only melt on yours.
I can't trust the waves to float me,
I can't trust the moon that shines on you.
But when I'm with you
I'm the ocean.
And when I'm with you
I've come home.
These lyrics, from the song Can by Kitchens Of Distinction, convey the singer's deep sense of comfort and belonging with their beloved. The metaphor of the singer being the ocean when they are with their love suggests that being with them makes the singer feel vast, powerful, and endlessly deep. The line "float within me" reinforces this sense of being carried along in a vast expanse, as though the love between the two is a force that can buoy and sustain them. The idea of time being stopped by the brilliance of the beloved's smile suggests a kind of reverie or trance that the singer falls into when they are together.
The lyrics also evoke a tension between certainty and doubt. The singer can lose themselves in moments with their love, but there is a lingering sense of insecurity or fear that comes through in lines like "I can't trust the waves to float me" and "I can't trust the moon that shines on you." This tension is perhaps what makes the love between the two feel so tender and precious--it is not something that the singer takes for granted.
Line by Line Meaning
When I'm with you
Being with you gives me a feeling of vastness and depth like that of the ocean.
Float within me.
Embrace me and let us explore this boundless sensation together.
When I look at you
The mere sight of your beautiful smile captivates and spellbinds me.
Your brilliant smile stops time,
Amidst the hustle and bustle of life, your smile is a source of tranquility and serenity.
Intoxicates me.
The way you make me feel is like being under the influence of an addictive substance.
I can lose myself
In your presence, I am transported to another realm where everything feels perfect and blissful.
In moments of you,
In the moments we spend together, I find myself immersed in a sea of emotion and connectedness.
Nothing ripples, nothing sways.
The purity and stillness of our moments together remains unaffected by the turbulence outside of us.
This tender love feeds my days,
The love that we share is nourishing and life-affirming, and sustains me through every day.
Damn these foolish childish ways.
I regret having ever let anything come between us, and wish to put aside any immaturity that led to hurt and distance.
What use are these words?
Words alone cannot capture the depth of emotion and connection we share.
What use are these lips?
My lips were made to be joined with yours, and words pale in comparison to the intimacy this brings.
My lips only melt on yours.
Our physical connection is a natural extension of the deep emotional bond we share.
I can't trust the waves to float me,
In life, there are so many uncertainties and turbulences, I cannot trust anything except our connection.
I can't trust the moon that shines on you.
Even the celestial bodies may betray and deceive us, but our love holds steadfast.
And when I'm with you
Being in your presence opens up a world of possibility and wonder.
I've come home.
With you, I feel a profound sense of belonging and rootedness, like coming back to the place I belong.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DAN GOODWIN, JULIAN SWALES, PATRICK FITZGERALD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
john hatchell
1: Railwayed
Softly something comes
The train into the station
She has often waited
And wondered if he'll come
Why has he kept her waiting
Hell from coming home now
Was it trouble (something)
Or a brand new family
Will he step down
Onto the platform
Will he stay now
Or go again
Softly something comes
A feeling that she loves him
Remembering his birthday
And sentimental times
Was she really that bad
To force him to silence
Were her tears forgotten
Or was it just like?
Daddy will you
Stay this time
Daddy will you
Walk away
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
That love (not lost?)
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No goodbyes
Softly something feeling
As if she is just dreaming
Daddy she has been good
You must be here to stay
Slowly steam is rising
She's shouting as she sees you
She's running up to hold you
Will your arms be there?
Daddy will you
Stay this time?
Daddy will you
Go again?
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
?
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No surprise
No more surprise
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
?
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No surprise
No more surprise
No surprise
Eddie Donovan
Pure perfection. Not a bad song on here. Reminds me of my early twenties
Patrick Lokhorst
one of the most underrated bands ever
AUroRA BoReAliS
litteraly every comment on every underground band video on youtube :')
Mancunian Ace
Totally, put new fads in their as well.
Anthony John
Not by me
OrangeMedal2
to me this is a perfect album. I can listen to it any time anywhere and it always delivers... every song! Incredible release by these guys. I love it.
john hatchell
1: Railwayed
Softly something comes
The train into the station
She has often waited
And wondered if he'll come
Why has he kept her waiting
Hell from coming home now
Was it trouble (something)
Or a brand new family
Will he step down
Onto the platform
Will he stay now
Or go again
Softly something comes
A feeling that she loves him
Remembering his birthday
And sentimental times
Was she really that bad
To force him to silence
Were her tears forgotten
Or was it just like?
Daddy will you
Stay this time
Daddy will you
Walk away
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
That love (not lost?)
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No goodbyes
Softly something feeling
As if she is just dreaming
Daddy she has been good
You must be here to stay
Slowly steam is rising
She's shouting as she sees you
She's running up to hold you
Will your arms be there?
Daddy will you
Stay this time?
Daddy will you
Go again?
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
?
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No surprise
No more surprise
Shower her
With your own tears
Give to her
?
Open now
Those cold blue eyes
Promise her
There'll be no more goodbyes
No surprise
No more surprise
No surprise
Raffy Rillo
A hidden gem of a record. This is awesome!
Mike O
never forget the first time i saw/heard this band on 120 Minutes with Dave Kendall back in the day, when you'd hear a song and go buy the album. On this album, every song was great
Deco
Nice album, looks like the lasts years of 80's