Yellow Kitchen

Last updated
Yellow Kitchen
MarkKozelekYellowKitchen.jpg
Studio album by
Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton
ReleasedJune 30, 2017
RecordedDecember 2016–May 2017, Pennsylvania and California
Genre
Length41:16
Label Caldo Verde
Producer
  • Mark Kozelek
  • Sean Yeaton
Mark Kozelek chronology
Mark Kozelek Sings Favorites
(2016)		Yellow Kitchen
(2017)		Mark Kozelek with Ben Boye and Jim White
(2017)

Yellow Kitchen is a collaboration album between American musician and singer Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and Sean Yeaton, bassist of Parquet Courts, released on June 30, 2017 by Caldo Verde Records, [3] though available for streaming shortly prior to that. Kozelek and Yeaton met at a Dutch festival in summer 2016, and recorded and self-produced Yellow Kitchen from December 2016 to May 2017 in the United States. Guest appearances on the album include Steve Shelley and Jim White on drums and Holly Throsby and Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy) on vocals.

Contents

The album develops upon Kozelek's spoken word, stream of consciousness lyrical and vocal approach. Autobiographical in nature, Kozelek comments on his personal life and current affairs among other subjects. The music, largely provided by Yeaton, is experimental and ambient, displaying occasional dissonance as well as influences from minimalism. Different musical directions are explored within individual tracks in addition to across the album. Upon its release in 2017, where it became Kozelek's third album and fourth release overall that year, Yellow Kitchen received both positive and mixed views from professional music critics, with some journalists opining that the recording was one of Kozelek's most abstract releases yet.

Recording

While Mark Kozelek won critical acclaim with his band Sun Kil Moon's sixth album Benji (2014), [4] on his subsequent projects, he moved towards a more eosteric and "almost Knausgårdian [lyrical and vocal] style, including long, detailed, half-sung, half-spoken descriptions of everything that he did and thought in a given span." [5] Kozelek met Parquet Courts bassist and electronic musician Sean Yeaton in summer 2016 at a musical festival in the Netherlands, forming a friendship which led to the recording of Yellow Kitchen, [6] which was recorded between December 2016 and May 2017 in Pennsylvania and California. [6] The duo self-produced the album, while Kozelek wrote and sang the lyrics while Yeaton created the music, [7]

The album features guest appearances from Jim White, ex-Sonic Youth drummer Steve Shelley, Holly Throsby and Will Oldham (Bonnie "Prince" Billy). [8] Shelley plays drums on "No Christmas Like This" while White plays drums on "Daffodils", while vocals are contributed by Throsby on "Time to Destination" and Oldham on "The Reasons I Love You". [7] Yellow Kitchen is Kozelek's fourth release of 2017, following Sun Kil Moon's Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood , his solo Night Talks EP, and 30 Seconds to the Decline of Planet Earth, a collaboration between Sun Kil Moon and Jesu. [9]

Music and lyrics

"Kozelek does “sing” on a few tracks overtop of some light woodwinds, or quietly mixed guitars and drums, but it’s hardly in a conventionally musical manner. The music is somewhat sparse, but experimental, and often goes in several different directions over the course of a single track."

—Liam Prost, BeatRoute Magazine [1]

Written and spoken by Kozelek and autobiographical in nature, [10] the lyrics and vocal delivery of Yellow Kitchen develop upon the stream of consciousness, spoken word style of Kozelek's work since Sun Kil Moon's Universal Themes (2015). [2] [5] [11] As with Kozelek's other 2016-2017 releases, his words on the album reflect his concerns with his own aging and health, while touching on subjects such as celebrity deaths, restaurants Kozelek had dined at, films he had watched and why Kozelek's writing style had changed since the 1990s. [10]

Musically, Yellow Kitchen is abstract and cold in tone, as well as more experimental than other Kozelek albums, providing what Paul Simpson for AllMusic described as "a dreamlike, sometimes distant background for Kozelek's autobiographical rants." [10] Yeaton's music on the album is ambient and occasionally discordant, evoking what one reviewer described as a sense of paranoia. [2] The style from the album is said to change between "avant-garde keyboard passage and ragged lo-fi indie rock," especially on "No Christmas Like This". [10] The dark atmosphere of the album matches the album's anxious lyrics, [2] while Dylan Montanari of Spectrum Culture felt the album was cinematic and reminiscent of film techniques. [5]

Mark Kozelek (pictured in 2014) developed his spoken word style on Yellow Kitchen. Mark Kozelek 2014.jpg
Mark Kozelek (pictured in 2014) developed his spoken word style on Yellow Kitchen.

In the opening song, "Time to Destination", Kozelek speaks harshly of the 2016 United States presidential election and its two leading candidates, Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, while on a flight to Shanghai in October 2016. [3] In addition to disputing current affairs, Kozelek discusses music venues, his own lyrical style, disc jockeys, the music industry, and fans of Kozelek's early band Red House Painters requesting unreleased, 25-year old music from them. [12] Musically, the track is minimalist, taking inspiration from Philip Glass, and features resounding pianos, [10] metallic clanging, [12] oom-pah-styled tuba, [12] and a "metronomic pulse." [10] [11] "No Christmas Like This" concerns itself with "various inanities." [11]

Kozelek recalls his Mardi Gras experiences on "I'm Still in Love with You". which quotes Steve McQueen's character Henri Charrière in Papillon (1973) and features mouth noises and tuneless yelping from Yeaton and an electronic backing. [12] Soundblab compared it to a 1950s "beatnik coffee house performance art open mic night." [12] The fourth wall is broken on "Somebody's Favourite Song", in which Kozelek discusses the writing of the song itself, unsure of what its subject matter is going to be. [10] Kozelek concedes the song will be precisely four minutes in duration, but after a brief silent interlude, the track begins again, with Kozelek continuing to recall conversations he was in. [10]

Considered by critics to be the most accessible track on the album, [2] "The Reasons I Love You" is a sparse love song Kozelek directs at his girlfriend Caroline, [13] its musical accompaniment including a kettle whistle, click track and acoustic guitar riff. [10] The 12-minute "Daffodils" is an electronica track with a beat that has been compared to Kanye West's Yeezus . [11] [5] It is initially piano-driven as Kozelek recalls an open-mic night, but develops into electronic textures as the recollection become more paranoid. According to Spectrum Culture , "[t]he oneiric quality is broken by the redemptive image of photographed daffodils and an exchange between himself and a departed loved one, possibly [Kozelek's ex-girlfriend] Katy, a lingering muse in Kozelek’s songwriting." [5]

Release and reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [10]
BeatRoute Magazine (favourable) [1]
Spectrum Culture Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [5]

Yellow Kitchen was announced on May 2, 2017, initially with the release date of July 4. [14] As a preview of the album, "The Reasons I Love You" was released onto Caldo Verde Records' website on June 19, 2017, [13] the same day the album artwork and track listing were released and the release date of the album was brought forward. [15] The album cover, a pastel yellow square, [9] was designed by Brian Azer. [7] Towards the end of June 2017, the album became available to stream on Sun Kil Moon's website, [3] and Caldo Verde Records released the album shortly afterwards on June 30. [3] On August 3, a music video for "Daffodils" was released, in which Kozelek holds up numerous objects, including novels, albums, world currencies, a postcard, among many other things. [16]

The album received both positive and mixed reviews from music critics, who found it a continuation of Kozelek's recent musical endeavours. Liam Prost of BeatRoute Magazine called the album "required listening for the Mark Kozelek completionist," while also calling it "mostly just a strange distraction, a fun thing to smile about on the bus on your way to serve our corporate overlords." [1] Dylan Montanari of Spectrum Culture rated the album four stars out of five and said that while "[d]etractors find his musical output increasingly narcissistic, but I don’t buy it. I’m writing this on the 200th birthday of Henry David Thoreau, who once said, 'My life has been the poem I would have writ. But I could not both live and utter it.' Maybe no one can, but Mark Kozelek sure comes close." [5]

Paul Simpson of AllMusic rated the album three stars out of five, while also hailing it as an "Album Pick". With its length of 41 minutes, Simpson found the album "short and succinct" compared to Kozelek's other albums of original material, "which might come as a relief to some listeners," and writes that "even though the music is a bit more experimental, the effect is much the same. It's worth a listen if you enjoyed any of those releases, but otherwise it won't change your mind about Kozelek and the direction his music has taken." [10] Woody Delaney of The Student Playlist wrote that, while starkly different to Benji, "the main thing that the record proves is that he is a songwriter who truly walks to his own beat, and while some may consider it a weaker addition to his vast discography, it’s still a noteworthy deep-cut." [2] Earbuddy were more hostile, saying " these results are so pitiful that you wonder if this is all some mean-spirited joke on the listener." [17]

Track listing

All songs written by Mark Kozelek

  1. "Time to Destination" – 6:06
  2. "No Christmas Like This" – 7:29
  3. "I'm Still in Love with You" – 4:49
  4. "Somebody's Favourite Song" – 7:25
  5. "The Reasons I Love You" – 3:28
  6. "Daffodils" – 11:59

Personnel

Related Research Articles

Sun Kil Moon American folk rock act from San Francisco, California

Sun Kil Moon is an American folk rock act from San Francisco, California, founded in 2002. Initially a continuation of the defunct indie rock band Red House Painters, Sun Kil Moon is now the primary recording moniker of vocalist and guitarist Mark Kozelek. The project is named after the Korean super flyweight boxer Sung-Kil Moon.

<i>Ghosts of the Great Highway</i> 2003 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Ghosts of the Great Highway is the debut studio album by San Francisco quartet Sun Kil Moon, led by Red House Painters' founder Mark Kozelek, who composed all of the lyrics and music on this album. The other members are Anthony Koutsos, Geoff Stanfield, and Tim Mooney.

Mark Kozelek American musician

Mark Edward Kozelek is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, record producer and occasional actor. He is best known as the vocalist and primary recording artist of the indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, with whom he has recorded ten studio albums, and as the vocalist, guitarist and founding member of the indie rock band Red House Painters, with whom he recorded six studio albums from 1989 until 2001.

<i>Tiny Cities</i> 2005 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Tiny Cities is the second studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released November 1, 2005 on Caldo Verde Records. The album features the same lineup as the band's debut, Ghosts of the Great Highway (2003). This album was chosen as one of Amazon.com's Top 100 Editor's Picks of 2005.

Caldo Verde Records is a San Francisco-based indie rock and folk record label founded by Red House Painters and Sun Kil Moon frontman Mark Kozelek in 2005. The label primarily features releases by Kozelek and Sun Kil Moon, but has also released albums by Jesu, Corrina Repp, Retribution Gospel Choir, and Kath Bloom. Photographer Nyree Watts is the commissioned artist for Caldo Verde, as almost all of the releases on the label feature her photography.

<i>April</i> (Sun Kil Moon album) 2008 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

April is the third studio album by American folk rock band Sun Kil Moon, released in the US on April 1, 2008 through Caldo Verde Records, and on April 18, 2008 in Japan via P-Vine Records. The album was recorded at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco and Well Recording in Seattle during a seven-month stretch from spring to late summer in 2007. The album was produced and written by Mark Kozelek. Will Oldham, Ben Gibbard and Eric Pollard lend their backing vocals throughout the album. The album also comes with a bonus disc of 4 alternate recordings.

<i>The Finally LP</i> 2008 compilation album by Mark Kozelek

The Finally LP is a compilation album by Mark Kozelek. The CD was released on December 9, 2008 via Caldo Verde Records. From the press release:

Over the years, Mark Kozelek of Sun Kil Moon and his earlier band, Red House Painters, has gained well deserved praise for his extraordinary songwriting. At the same time, he has developed a parallel reputation for his unique covers of other people's material. Many of these tracks were recorded for tribute albums that are now unavailable. Caldo Verde Records has now collected them in a cohesive, 10-song CD titled The Finally LP.

Red House Painters band

Red House Painters were an American rock band, formed in San Francisco, California in 1988. They were one of the most prominent acts associated with the slowcore/sadcore subgenre. Fronted by primary songwriter Mark Kozelek, the band also included drummer Anthony Koutsos and bass guitarist Jerry Vessel. Guitarists Gorden Mack and Phil Carney both performed with the band during separate six-year tenures.

<i>Lost Verses Live</i> 2009 live album by Mark Kozelek

Lost Verses Live is the second of two live albums released in spring 2009 by Mark Kozelek. Lost Verses Live was released on May 12, 2009. A limited edition vinyl pressing includes the exclusive live bonus tracks "I Am a Rock," "Last Tide," and "Floating," and was released in October 2009. The album was recorded live throughout solo tour dates in 2007 and 2008 in intimate, seated settings such as The First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Williamsburg Music Hall in Brooklyn, The Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco and the Aladdin Theatre in Portland. Mark was accompanied by guitarist Phil Carney across the set.

<i>Admiral Fell Promises</i> 2010 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Admiral Fell Promises is the fourth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on July 13, 2010 on Caldo Verde Records. Despite being released under the Sun Kil Moon moniker, the album features Mark Kozelek performing solo on acoustic nylon-string guitar. Along with the standard CD release, the album was also released on vinyl in October 2010, which includes liner notes, lyrics, and two bonus tracks recorded live in Saint-Malo, France.

<i>Among the Leaves</i> 2012 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Among the Leaves is the fifth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on May 29, 2012 on Caldo Verde Records. Similar to Sun Kil Moon's previous studio album, Admiral Fell Promises (2010), the album is predominantly performed by founding member Mark Kozelek on a nylon-string guitar.

<i>Perils from the Sea</i> 2013 studio album by Mark Kozelek and Jimmy LaValle

Perils from the Sea is a collaborative studio album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek and multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle, released on April 30, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records.

<i>Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne</i> 2013 live album by Mark Kozelek

Live at Phoenix Public House Melbourne is a live album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek, released on February 19, 2013 on Caldo Verde Records. Recorded on June 11, 2012, and released on the same day as Kozelek's covers album, Like Rats (2013), the album predominately features tracks from the then-recently released Sun Kil Moon album, Among the Leaves (2012).

<i>Benji</i> (album) 2014 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Benji is the sixth studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on 11 February 2014 on Caldo Verde Records. Self-produced by primary recording artist Mark Kozelek, the album shares its name with the 1974 film Benji, and was recorded between March and August 2013 at Hyde Street Studios in San Francisco.

<i>Mark Kozelek Sings Christmas Carols</i> 2014 studio album by Mark Kozelek

Mark Kozelek Sings Christmas Carols is a Christmas album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek. It was released on November 4, 2014, through Kozelek's own record label, Caldo Verde Records.

<i>Live at Biko</i> 2014 live album by Mark Kozelek

Live at Biko is a live album by American singer-songwriter Mark Kozelek. It was released on July 1, 2014, through Kozelek's own record label Caldo Verde Records.

<i>Universal Themes</i> 2015 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Universal Themes is the seventh studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, released on June 2, 2015 on Caldo Verde Records.

<i>Jesu/Sun Kil Moon</i> 2016 studio album by Jesu and Sun Kil Moon

Jesu / Sun Kil Moon is a collaborative studio album by American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon and British experimental act Jesu, released on January 21, 2016 on Caldo Verde Records and Rough Trade. The album also features guest musicians Will Oldham, members of Low, Rachel Goswell of Slowdive, and Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse. Jesu and Sun Kil Moon including drummer Steve Shelley of Sonic Youth played six shows in February and March 2016 to support the album.

<i>Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood</i> 2017 studio album by Sun Kil Moon

Common as Light and Love Are Red Valleys of Blood is the eighth studio album by the American indie folk act Sun Kil Moon, self-produced by primary recording artist Mark Kozelek. The album was released on 17 February 2017 on Caldo Verde Records. It is a double album and comprises 16 tracks in total, being Sun Kil Moon's longest album to date.

I Also Want to Die in New Orleans is the tenth studio album by American band Sun Kil Moon. It was released in March 2019 under Caldo Verde Records.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Prost, Liam (August 19, 2017). "Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton – Yellow Kitchen". BeatRoute. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Delaney, Woody (July 11, 2017). "REVIEW: Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton – 'Yellow Kitchen' (Caldo Verde)". The Student Playlist. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Helman, Peter (June 26, 2017). "Stream Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton Yellow Kitchen". Stereogum. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  4. ↑ "Reviews for Benji by Sun Kil Moon". Metacritic . Retrieved September 8, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Montanari, Dylan (July 16, 2017). "Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton: Yellow Kitchen". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  6. 1 2 Pearis, Bill (June 19, 2017). "Mark Kozelek preps LP w/ Sean Yeaton of Parquet Courts & another LP for October". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  7. 1 2 3 Yellow Kitchen (liner). Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton. Caldo Verde Records. 2017.CS1 maint: others (link)
  8. ↑ Murphy, Sarah (June 26, 2017). "Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton 'Yellow Kitchen' (album stream)". Exclaim. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  9. 1 2 Strauss, Matthew (May 2, 2017). "Mark Kozelek and Parquet Courts' Sean Yeaton Announce New Album Yellow Kitchen". Pitchfork. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Simpson, Paul (2017). "AllMusic Review by Paul Simpson". AllMusic. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Mark Kozelek and Sean Yeaton – Yellow Kitchen – Album Review". No More Work Horse. June 30, 2017. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Penczak, Jeff (July 5, 2017). "MARK KOZELEK & SEAN YEATON - YELLOW KITCHEN". Soundblab. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  13. 1 2 Geslani, Michelle (June 19, 2017). "Mark Kozelek and Parquet Courts' Sean Yeaton share new, collaborative song "The Reasons I Love You" — listen". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  14. ↑ Day, Laurence (May 3, 2017). "Mark Kozelek releasing new record Yellow Kitchen with Parquet Courts' Sean Yeaton". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  15. ↑ Slingerland, Calum (June 19, 2017). "Mark Kozelek & Sean Yeaton Detail 'Yellow Kitchen' LP". Exclaim. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  16. ↑ Eisinger, Dale (August 4, 2017). "A List of Things Mark Kozelek Holds Up In His "Daffodils" Video With Sean Yeaton". Spin. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
  17. ↑ Alexander, Tom. "Mark Kozelek & Sean Young – Yellow Kitchen Review". Earbuddy. Retrieved September 18, 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.