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Kitchens of Distinction
The Death of Cool
A&M, 1992

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Reflecting on the title, i suppose it is accurate to cast The Death of Cool as the yin to Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool yang. The title of the 1992 sophomore effort by the British drone pop band Kitchens of Distinction was undoubtedly chosen in part to commemorate the passing of Davis the year before, but there are thematic connections as well. Davis unleashed a free-form revolution based on a trumpet wailing through smoky subterranean dives, with lyrics making way for complex, shifting soundscapes. The Kitchens construct emotion through flowing, intertwining streams of melody. More defined by pop sensibilities, with lyrics present and song structures well defined, but nevertheless connected to the cool borne of Miles Davis despite the forty years separating them. There is a definite sense of finality in the record, from the whispered scream of "Gone World Gone" to the reflection on Marilyn Monroe in "When In Heaven". It's a record you lie back and let wash over you ... embracing, practically reveling in the uncertainty and depression of life. And after the rolling bass line of "Blue Pedal" and the closing strings of "Can't Trust the Waves" fade out, you are left with a sense of absence. A fitting memorial to the jazz genius.

"is that all there is, is that all there is?"
she smiles and stays alive
it's the best thing, the only thing she knows

 

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