Spanish Kitchen
Unlucky Men / Home Cooking
Epiphany 28 Records

Spanish Kitchen consists of Simon Glickman on vocals, Willie Aron on guitars, vocals, and organ, Miles Lally on bass and vocals, and Perry Ostrin on drums. And as most of the press on them has noted, Simon Glickman holds a Ph.D. in English, which goes to show that there can be life outside of academia for someone with a graduate degree in a humanity.

Unlucky Men, the first side of this 7" single, is a jazzy blend of rhythms and poetry, showing that this Kitchen has a coffee shop down in its basement. The B-side, Home Cooking, isn't as striking with its detuned guitars and off-key chorus, yet it does what a good B-side should: it shows the diversity of the group. And though much has been written about Glickman's degree, the freshest element on both tracks is the music. Instead of laying down a monotonous arrangement and singing over it or having a distinct sound for the verse and another for the chorus and oscillating between them, both songs feature some unexpected changes, keeping one's ears listening as a good meal will keep one eating.

Spanish Kitchen is well worth your time, and you don't have to call for reservations.

Label: Epiphany 28 Records (P.O. Box 9278, No. Hollywood, CA 91609-1278)

Copyright © 1997 J. A. Gilbert