Kitchens Of Distinction -- S&D//POO/C or D?

Strange Free World sound as good, if not better, today than it did 22 years ago. A brilliant and hugely underrated band.

http://devonrecordclub.wordpress.com/2012/04/26/kitchens-of-distinction-strange-free-world-round-26-toms-selection/

Well now this is interesting -- according to recent posts on Patrick Fitzgerald's website:

http://stephenheroband.wordpress.com/

He and Julian Swales are working on a new album, and it looks like they're thinking about reviving the Kitchens of Distinction name for it if a Facebook comment was any indication. Perhaps not, we'll have to see. Here's the most recent blogpost:

Very close to mixing now. 10 new songs recorded with Julian playing guitar and me playing guitar and singing and there’s bass and strings and drums and flutes and oboes and trumpets and tambourines and weird samples and swearing and not swearing and songs that sound old and songs that sound nothing like what we’ve done before and a soprano’s ahhs and the kitchen sink.

Now what to call the thing and in what format to release it?

Wow.

God, what it would be to have some of that old Kitchens magic back; was listening to them on the long drive back from Cromer to Manchester yesterday, with the sun shining and distant wind farms spinning they sounded better than ever. I don't remember enough about the original split to know if there was any acrimony which might have prevented Dan's involvement with this? From the blog it looks like it's been a slow germination of work with Julian again anyway. Pretty exciting tbh :)

Reformation-ah! Dan Goodwin joins.

Great news... I don't expect it to completely sound like the Kitchens, but this is very promising..

We have some news:

https://www.facebook.com/events/444166695621895/permalink/534977803207450/

we are delighted to announce that the fifth KITCHENS OF DISTINCTION recording will be released later this year through the 3 LOOP MUSIC label so please head over to their Facebook page to hear all the latest about the band's new home. If you have any questions about the release - the format/s, the release date, merchandise, etc - then please direct them to the lovely folks over there from now on. It's hoped to be a Digital/CD/Vinyl release, with a possible September/October release date, and a full merchandise range but you'll hear all the finer details from the record label as and when they have them. Julian has expressed a desire to not play live and the health of yours truly is, as most of you know, often too fragile to make any firm commitments so no more questions about live shows please but if we are lucky enough to get any radio sessions then you will be the first to know.

very excited about this....

I've been playing them a ton the past month; in fact, I sometimes find myself in a mood where they are the only band I want to listen to. Can't wait to get new material from them. Too bad no live shows, but it's unlikely they would have come stateside anyway I'm guessing.

Roll on the autumn! Shame that they won't be touring, but clearly very good reasons for them not to be out on the road; I'd be surprised if they don't get some radio session offers, can imagine at least a couple of shows on 6 Music would snap them up for these.

What's wrong with Patrick?

Release date for album September 30

...and still no title for it?

no live trio tho

http://www.slicingupeyeballs.com/2013/07/22/kitchens-of-distinction-new-album-stream-sample/

Yeah, Julian's been saying for a while touring ain't his thing anymore. Patrick and Dan are up for it, though, and there's been talk of getting in a replacement guitarist with Julian's blessing. Still, though...

So Lamacq's about to play a new track, I think:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0072lb2

BTW, new album cover:

https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash3/1004501_10151765594030733_25070520_n.jpg

ew, what the heck is that font

God that Arctic Monkeys song just now was a dirge.

Okay, about to be broadcast.

Very Bowie-esque, comes off a bit Suede-ish really

Indeed! Reminded me of "Sand on Fire." And apparently intentionally Bowieish given the lyrics and the paraphrase from Patrick that Lamacq gave.

I heard that, just as I was typing that post!

Given it a few listens since yesterday, it feels so good to just have them back together again. Def feeling the Bowie/Suede vibe and especially love the final "staring at the record sleeves..." part. CD preordered :)

Is the song still available to hear somewhere? Didn't see anything obvious on the BBC website but I realize it might be in one of the episodes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eUZkLO-gReI

danke

Interesting direction for them to take, but definitely has some of that old magic. I could listen to those guitar lines in the bridge for hours. Can't wait for a high-quality version of this track and the rest of the album!

Okay, excellent new interview at the Quietus:

http://thequietus.com/articles/13414-kitchens-of-distinction-interview

Another lovely Wyndham Wallace feature.

And a very nicely detailed playlist from Patrick here

http://www.3loopmusic.com/patrick-fitzgeralds-exclusive-playlist/

^ The Bitter Springs' "Ken"

thoughts on the record? i dunno how much is warm nostalgia fuzzy feelings but i dig so far.

It's very good indeed -- sorry, thought I had posted on it here already. Very much a maturer band lyrically/sonically but it's still undeniably them, and the fact that they come roaring out of the gate with the first song is a good thing.

I've been giving Folly a few listens this week and am a bit on the fence so far, but I often take a while to really appreciate things. Definitely a few standouts, including "Oak Tree" and "Extravagance" but the one that really gives me the old-school KoD neck prickles is "I Wish It Would Snow", absolutely gorgeous.

Just a heads up, KOD will be playing a live in-studio set at KEXP tomorrow night 9pm Pacific. Stream it online.

Indeed!

https://www.facebook.com/events/578776285493023

http://kexp.org/events/instudio

The Lost Girls album finally came out! Cherry Red just released it with a bonus disc and it's damn good. Heidi Berry's vocals often bring to mind Sandy Denny and Linda Thompson and the addition of Patrick's sensibilities and early sampling / programming is very compelling.

Yeah it's a fun listen.

Anyone get the new box set? Unfortunately it seems to be missing "White Horses" and on Love Is Hell "Prize" has skipping on it, along with booklet printing errors according to some reviewers.

It's only the One Little Indian stuff so it doesn't have some singles.

Yeah the B-sides comp was slightly screwed up, so no "White Horses" (or "What We Really Wanted to Do," IIRC). My girlfriend, also a huge fan, ordered it -- it's nice, glitches aside, but the only tracks I didn't have were the radio sessions.

Patrick F was on the Tom Robinson show the other night -- great career-overview of an interview, well worth a listen

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdfb2RIdGjI

I'm game for everything Patrick is involved with. He's just released the second Oskar's Drum album with Yves Altana, it's very dark and heavy:

https://oskarsdrum.bandcamp.com/

The first one's very good too though not as immediate as this one. Frankly, I like these much more than the Kitchens comeback album "Folly".

Patrick's announced his new Stephen Hero album out in November will be his last album.

https://patrickfitzgerald.bandcamp.com/album/deciduous-eccentric

It's a lovely listen -- he very kindly sent me an advance the other day -- and it's a striking note to wrap up his career on. Here's the video for the single:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BsQeZx2dImA

Did he give a reason for his retirement?

Maybe he just wants to chill?

???but he's been super chill this whole time???

I hope he's not ill! I know he's a doctor, and his new single is called "Patient Here Myself."

I didn't get the sense from that in our exchange.

Very obsessed with Kitchens right now. Was happy to see this revive a few days ago.