1994 - The death of Kurt Cobain is for the masses the death of grunge. Meanwhile, other realities are emerging in rock music: the commercial potential of punk revival is discovered; the britpop wave explodes; metal (in part) tends to open up to a wider audience thanks to a thematic shift. All of this is fueled by MTV, which limits itself to airing music videos of those it considers its golden geese. In this musical landscape, the debut album of the Swedish band Freak Kitchen goes almost entirely unnoticed.

The album presents as its lowest common denominator fun and silliness. The tracks are delivered with high technical and compositional prowess, bolstered by a guitarist/singer who could be described as a guitar "playful jester" (the real cornerstone of the lineup), a rhythmic machine on the drums, and a bassist who hits just the right way to make the sound truly "solid." One of the important features of the album is precisely this: the technique (often extremely high) is never an end in itself, but always spills over into irony, so much so that Freak Kitchen seem not to take themselves even a bit seriously. Many elements are employed (odd times, pop vocals bordering on questionable paired with "drunken" refrains, etc...), but the tracks are always easy to absorb, they are fun and make the album incredibly cohesive. It's not the genre of music that is original, nor the presence of particular elements, but it is the way the work is presented that distinguishes the album among many.

In their career, the appetizer has so far been the best dish to come out of the crazy kitchen that is Freak Kitchen. Only with "Move" in 2002 will they offer (with a different lineup except for the guitarist/singer) something fun and well-crafted similar to their debut, but that’s another story.

Tracklist and Lyrics

01   Blind (03:40)

It's so easy to criticize
When you live your life with blind-folded eyes
You're so scared that you can't relate
To the world outside, and your fear leads to hate

Hate

It's so cushy to kick back
And take the easy way out
You think you're God�s gift to mankind
I say you're blind

Blind

You've invented a world of your own
Where your narrow mind lives all alone
Buy more guns, call it patriotism
Your ignorance turns into racism

Racism

Its so cushy to kick back
And take the easy way out
You think you're God�s gift to mankind I say your blind

Blind

02   Appetizer (04:56)

03   Lie Freedom (04:35)

04   Hollow (03:56)

05   See You in Pittsburgh (04:40)

You can not see your misery
But you are climbing on the misery-tree
You broadcast filth, you bring us pain
We sow a tumor in your brain

Turn on your TV, what do you see?
You're trapped inside our philosophy
Hallucinations becoming real
A fair price for the shit you deal

I don't know you...

I'm not your private toy-maniac
Well, well, well, I'll be paying you back
Don't know exactly just what to do
Maybe I'll die, but first I'm killing you

I don't know you
I don't want to
I'll see you in Pittsburgh
Long live the New Flesh

I can not see my misery
I guess I'm climbing up that misery-tree
But it's my life, it's my Swiss army-knife
Do as I want, I'll cut my self free

I don't know you
I don't want to
I'll see you in Pittsburgh
Long live the New Flesh

06   Paperdance (02:27)

07   Raw (04:18)

08   Some Kind of Love Song (04:05)

09   Are You for Real? (03:59)

10   The Healthy Man (04:02)

11   What's the Problem? (05:15)

12   The New Part (04:04)

Loading comments  slowly