GIVEAWAY: Win Tickets to Prophecy Fest USA in Brooklyn; Alcest, Year of the Cobra, 1476 & Many More Playing

Posted in Features on October 11th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

prophecy fest lineup

[TO ENTER GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on this post and make sure your email address is filled in the form so I can contact you if you win. Yup, that’s it.]

You can buy tickets now for the first-ever Prophecy Fest USA, being held Nov. 2-3 in Brooklyn, NY, at the Knitting Factory, and I’m not going to dissuade you from doing that, but if you leave a comment on this post, you can also just win a pair and go that way. I know money’s tight, so if you’ve got room in your heart for the likes of Novembers Doom and Alcest, Kayo Dot and Year of the Cobra over the course of two nights — and well, I think you do — then yeah, you might just want to go for this one.

I want to keep this post short, so I’ll spare you the wax-critique of the varied and righteous bill and just let you see it for yourself. The schedule as per the fest:

prophecy fest usa 2018 new posterFriday, November 2nd
7-7:30 || Völur
8-8:30 || Xasthur
9-9:30 || Kayo Dot
10-10:45 || So Hideous
11:15-End || Novembers Doom

Saturday, November 3rd
7-7:30 || 1476
8-8:30 || Year of the Cobra
9-9:30 || Crowhurst
10-10:45 || Eye Of Nix
11:15-End || Alcest

Pretty badass, and again, this is the first time Prophecy Fest is being held on American soil, so all the more worth showing up.

And I don’t know if I have to say this at this point, but I will anyway: if you enter a contest here, I don’t keep your email. You’re not added to a list. Your information isn’t sold. I wouldn’t know how to do that if I wanted to, and I don’t want to, so yeah. The lizard people already have your information, but I didn’t give it to them.

Thanks to all who enter.

And if you don’t win, buy tickets here: http://us.prophecy.de/prophecy-fest/prophecy-fest-us-ticket.html

https://www.facebook.com/events/228554127792687/
http://us.prophecy.de

[TO ENTER GIVEAWAY: Leave a comment on this post and make sure your email address is filled in the form so I can contact you if you win. Yup, that’s it.]

Prophecy Fest USA trailer #2

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Kayo Dot Sign to Prophecy Productions; Playing Prophecy Fest in Brooklyn

Posted in Whathaveyou on September 27th, 2018 by JJ Koczan

As Prophecy Productions continues its ascent as a US-based entity, one can hardly argue with its selection of targets. The latest pickup from the German-expat imprint is New York’s post-everything avant garde troupe Kayo Dot. Led by founding frontman and principal crafter-of-whatnots Toby Driver, the band is now some 15 years removed from their 2003 debut, Choirs of the Eye — and thank you very much, that’s my “you are old” reminder for the day; gotta have at least one — and continue their commitment for fiercely progressive fare and a will toward experimentation with varying styles and sounds. Their latest album, 2016’s Plastic House on Base of Sky, came out in 2016.

Not sure whether this deal extends as well to Driver‘s solo output. He issued Madonnawhore last year, which collected a series of brooding and ambient tracks that would likewise be a fit on Kayo Dot‘s new label, but either way, Kayo Dot will be appearing at Prophecy Fest USA in Brooklyn this November, alongside 1476AlcestYear of the Cobra and others. Details on that are here.

And here’s the announcement of Kayo Dot signing, via the PR wire:

kayo dot

AVANT-GARDE POST-ROCK BAND KAYO DOT JOINS PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS

*BAND TO PERFORM AT “PROPHECY FEST USA” IN BROOKLYN, NY IN NOVEMBER*

The critically acclaimed New York based avant-garde post-rock band Kayo Dot has officially joined the roster of Prophecy Productions. The news comes in advance of the band’s upcoming performance at the inaugural 2-day Prophecy Fest USA in Brooklyn, NY at Knitting Factory on November 2nd. Tickets are available here: https://bit.ly/2M3SpgB

“I’m very happy and optimistic about working with Prophecy going forward. Forming a relationship with Prophecy and also becoming more closely connected with some of the major players in the European metal scene has brought up a lot of feelings that, although I haven’t engaged with in many years, still feel like home and family. We’re extremely excited to have this opportunity to bring our music to a wider audience and contribute to this universe in a positive, unique, and progressive way, and we thank Prophecy and everyone involved for believing in us, and we thank Jonathan at The Flenser for encouraging us to make this move.” – Toby Driver

The endlessly eclectic project, spearheaded by composer and producer Toby Driver, was formed in 2003 by the members of the legendary ethereal metal band, Maudlin of the Well, marking a giant, inspired evolutionary leap. Since then, Kayo Dot’s muse has shown its face through slow and massive cascades of guitars and violins, avant-garde jazz and fusion, post-rock, experimental metal and psychedelia – soaring and exploring through all facets of their music.

Kayo Dot’s members and collaborators come from a huge range of backgrounds; DIY punk kids to the most erudite conservatory-educated New York performing musicians. Frontman Toby Driver’s list of collaborators includes names like Randall Dunn (WITTR, Myrkur, Sunn 0))), Secret Chiefs 3 (Trey Spruance of Mr. Bungle), John Zorn, G. Stuart Dahlquist (Burning Witch, Asva), among many others. The diversity of collaborators feeds Kayo Dot’s ability to twist and turn, leaving a listener wanting more with no limits on how it will evolve, all the while creating sounds that are both timeless and contemporary.

http://www.kayodot.net/
https://www.instagram.com/kayodotofficial/
https://twitter.com/kayodotofficial
https://www.facebook.com/kayodot.official/
https://kayodot.bandcamp.com/
http://en.prophecy.de/

Kayo Dot, Plastic House on Base of Sky (2016)

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Prophecy Productions Announces Prophecy Fest USA 2018 for November in Brooklyn

Posted in Whathaveyou on August 2nd, 2018 by JJ Koczan

Man, I knew something was up with Prophecy Productions. The fact that Martin Koller, the founder of the long-running German imprint moved to California, is not to be understated in its importance. Prophecy is not a label of minor consideration when it comes to taste on the whole, and as they’ve picked up bands like Khôrada and Year of the Cobra, it not only speaks to those groups’ individual achievements, but the forward-moving nature of the current US heavy underground as a whole. The first-ever Prophecy Fest to be held in America will take place this November at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, with Eye of NixAlcestVolurXasthurKayo DotNovembers DoomYear of the Cobra, 1476 and So Hideous on the bill. Two nights and a pretty unbelievable international assemblage, featuring special sets. It’s the kind of event that you want to get dressed up for. I’m not saying you have to wear a suit, but we do want to make a good impression.

And would it kill you to put on a suit?

Very interested to see where Prophecy‘s US adventure takes the label over the next couple years, and Prophecy Fest, which is presented in conjunction with Stardust NYC, looks like a great place to start to find out.

From the PR wire:

prophecy fest usa 2018 new poster

PROPHECY PRODUCTIONS ANNOUNCES U.S. EXPANSION & PROPHECY FEST USA

Following two decades of acclaimed success, with revered releases from some of the most prolific and groundbreaking acts in eclectic heavy music, Germany based Prophecy Productions has officially announced their expansion to North America with a division of the label now established in Los Angeles.

Further affirming their presence, Prophecy has unveiled the first edition of Prophecy Fest USA, which will take place at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY on November 2nd and 3rd. The inaugural event will feature performances by Alcest, Xasthur, November’s Doom, So Hideous and more. Those who purchase tickets to the Fest will receive a special edition 2xCD Prophecy Compilation. Two day tickets are available now at http://us.prophecy.de/prophecy-fest/prophecy-fest-us-ticket.html.

Prophecy Productions emerged in 1996, quickly earning worldwide regard for high quality releases and a selective, eclectic roster. Beginning as a self-run mail order, Prophecy owner & founder Martin Koller released Empyrium’s 1996 debut, A Wintersunset… To this day, he has continued to nurture and develop artists he loves, resulting in a staggering roster which sports artist such as Alcest, Khôrada, Bethlehem, Lantlôs, Falkenbach, etc.

With growing awareness of the vast differences and growing possibilities in the US metal community, Koller chose to expand into the US by opening a North American division. In 2017, Koller moved to California to explore new possibilities in the American market, establishing a diverse, talented and dedicated American team, consisting of Rayshele Teige (ex-Century Media and Osmose), Kay Shelton (ex-20 Buck Spin & Wolves in the Throne Room, Northwest Terror Fest), and Matt Bacon (Metal Injection, Dropout Media).

With Prophecy in the USA, this powerhouse team aims to enrich and expand the Prophecy roster, uncovering and cultivating fresh artists and supporting icons alike. So far, the US roster reads eccentric, eclectic and nicely unpragmatic; US black metal pioneers Nachtmystium and Xasthur, highly speculated and anticipated supergroup Khôrada (ex-Agalloch, Giant Squid), blackened-sludge abyss Eye of Nix, Oakland surrealists Silence in the Snow, black metal/noise crossover superstar Crowhurst, and brute-doom experimentalists Year of the Cobra.

To read more about the history and philosophy behind Prophecy Productions, here is an in-depth article by writer Jon Wiederhorn: http://us.prophecy.de/prophecy-productions-philosophy/

http://en.prophecy.de/
https://www.facebook.com/prophecyproductions/
https://www.instagram.com/prophecypro/
https://twitter.com/ProphecyProd
https://www.youtube.com/user/prophecyBC

Prophecy Fest USA 2018 lineup announcements

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Roadburn 2015: Sólstafir, SubRosa, Kayo Dot, Lord Mantis, KENmode, Botanist and Lazer/Wulf Added

Posted in Whathaveyou on October 9th, 2014 by JJ Koczan

roadburn-banner

We’re now six months out from the kickoff of Roadburn 2015. I’ve been keeping my fingers crossed that I’m lucky enough to get to go over again to see it, but whether I’m there or not, there’s no question that the 20th edition of the Tilburg-based fest is among the most fascinating. Even today, with the seven — count ’em, seven — lineup additions (Sólstafir were already playing, but a second set was added), there’s a huge stylistic swath being covered between the bands, from KENmode‘s unhinged noise to Kayo Dot‘s art-rock atmospherics and Botanist‘s environmentalist black metal.

I have to give special mention to Sólstafir though. I’m streaming their 2014 album, Ótta, for the first time as I write this and, wow, is that good. I’ve known of them before and even checked out some of their stuff, but clearly I’ve been missing out by not digging further. I recommend you do the same.

Here’s the latest from Camp Roadburn, sent down the PR wire:

Roadburn-2015-SolstafirHF

Sólstafir To Perform Instrumental Soundtrack To Icelandic Cult-Classic Viking Movie Hrafninn Flýgur at Roadburn 2015

SubRosa, Kayo Dot, Lord Mantis, KEN mode, Botanist, and Lazer/Wulf have also been confirmed for the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival

Iceland natives Sólstafir will perform their unique take of the completely instrumental film score, to celebrate the thirtieth anniversary of the cult-classic Viking movie, Hrafninn Flýgur (When The Raven Flies) by director Hrafn Gunnlaugsson at Roadburn Festival 2015 on Thursday, April 9 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

Premiered at Reykjavik’s International Film Festival last week, this will be the first time that Sólstafir will play their live score, in real time while screening Hrafninn Flýgur from start to finish, outside of Iceland, offering our beloved attendees the chance to experience Gunnlaugsson’s epic tale in an entire new dimension on the main stage.

The 20th edition of Roadburn is going to be a treat for those who love soundtracks, as in addition to Sólstafir performing an instrumental soundtrack to Hrafninn Flýgur, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin will perform their much acclaimed movie scores for Dawn Of The Dead and Suspiria at the 2015 festival.

On, Friday, April 11, Sólstafir will be part of Houses of the Holistic, Ivar Bjørnson’s (Enslaved) and Wardruna’s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik’s curated Roadburn event.

We are also very excited to announce that acclaimed American doom quintet SubRosa will make its Roadburn debut at the 20th edition of the festival on Thursday, April 9, 2015. Based in Salt Lake City, Utah, SubRosa quickly made a name for itself in the wake of 2011’s No Help For The Mighty Ones and 2013’s universally praised More Constant Than The Gods, thanks to the band’s spellbinding blend of pulverizing doom, gothic atmosphere, and touches of Americana.

Led by founding member Toby Driver, Kayo Dot emerged in Boston, MA in 2002 from the ashes of metal group Maudlin of the Well. Since then, Driver has led Kayo Dot through several lineup changes and dramatic stylistic shifts: from traditional metal, to atmospheric, avant-garde metal; and now with their new album Coffins on Io, the bats-in-your-belfry hard rock of Sisters of Mercy meets Peter Gabriel-era Genesis, Scritti Politti and early Roxy Music.

We at Roadburn have long been admirers of Driver and Kayo Dot, and with Coffins On Io imminent and about to blow listeners minds wide open, what better time could there be to announce that Kayo Dot will be joining us at the 20th edition of Roadburn on Saturday, April 11.

Channeling unpleasant emotions and harrowing personal circumstances into bilious black / sludge metal, Lord Mantis will crawl to Tilburg from the back alleys and gutters of Chicago to make a welcome return to the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival on Saturday, April 12.

Lord Mantis’ raging torment, and pulverizing nastiness will make sure that all those at Roadburn 2015 who witness the band will be either glorying in its repellent dross and filth or descending into the bleakest, deepest septic sounds of hell — or for the really lucky, both.

We’re pleased to welcome Canadian post-hardcore heroes KEN mode to the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival on Thursday, April 9. Formed in 1999, KEN mode won the inaugural Heavy Metal / Hard Music Album of the Year Juno Award in Canada for their 2011 album Venerable which re-examines abrasive post- hardcore and noise rock in every, blistering sense! After releasing their newest masterpiece of musical hostility, Entrench, in 2013 through Season of Mist, KEN mode are prepared to go for the throat at Roadburn 2015.

Roadburn Festival is always on the lookout for the most innovative, original bands it can find, and there’s absolutely no doubt that Botanist’s performance at the 013 venue on Saturday, April 11, 2015 will rank as one of the most unique sets of the festival’s 20th edition. After all, it’s not every day you come across a black metal band playing songs about the destruction of mankind at the bands of plants, using hammered dulcimer and harmonium as its central instruments.

The mighty Kylesa thought enough of fellow Atlantan tech-metal power trio Lazer/Wulf to want to release their debut album, The Beast Of Left And Right, on their Retro Futurist label and we here at Roadburn can’t say as we blame ’em.

It’s a fiery, mostly instrumental, head-wrecking blend of finger-mangling impossible guitar riffs, busily burbling bass molestation and dizzyingly dexterous drum battery that manages to be fiercely progressive and insanely technical without falling into the trap of directionless shredding and we just love it.
We loved it so much that we invited Lazer/Wulf to bring their insane musicality to the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival, and you can experience the on Thursday, April 9, but please remember to take the proper precautions or your head may explode.

In related news: Tickets for the 20th edition of Roadburn Festival, set for April 9 – 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands, will go on sale on Thursday, October 16, 2014. Set your alarm and get ready to score your tickets at 21:00 CET!

For everyone in the Netherlands and Belgium: we are aware that your local ticket outlets will not be open when pre-sales start, which is why we are throwing another pre-sales party at the 013 venue in Tilburg (NL). From 19:00 CET – 20:30 CET you will be able to purchase a maximum of four paper tickets for Roadburn Festival 2015. Guaranteed!

In addition to making it easy to get tickets, the pre-sales party is going to be a blast! This year, we have invited The Machine and Radar Men From The Moon to provide the soundtrack. More info HERE.

Curated by Ivar Bjørnson (Enslaved) and Wardruna‘s Einar “Kvitrafn” Selvik, Roadburn Festival 2015 (including Fields of the Nephilim, Skuggsjá, Enslaved, Wardruna, Claudio Simonetti’s Goblin performing Dawn of The Dead and Susperia in its entirety, Zombi, Sólstafir, White Hills, Bongipper, Floor and The Heads as Artist In Residence among others) will run for four days from Thursday, April 9 to Sunday, April 12 at the 013 venue in Tilburg, The Netherlands.

http://www.roadburn.com/roadburn-2015/tickets/
https://www.facebook.com/roadburnfestival
https://twitter.com/roadburnfest
roadburn.com

Sólstafir, Ótta (2014)

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Live Review: Naam, Blackout and Kayo Dot in Manhattan, 07.06.13

Posted in Reviews on July 8th, 2013 by JJ Koczan

Did you ever say something and then realize just how true it actually is? I felt that way a couple weeks ago when I posted the slew of dates for Naam‘s US tour and realized just how excellent a band I think the Brooklyn-based foursome have become and how much I thought their recent European stint would only increase that. The image of the psychedelic righteousness they brought to Desertfest in London fresh in my head as they played material from this year’s Vow (review here), I made my way into Manhattan to see them start the aforementioned US run at the Studio room at Webster Hall, with support from Brooklyn’s Blackout and the perennially adventurous Kayo Dot.

Just over two years ago, I was at the Studio to see Ghost and Sabbath Assembly (review here), and my principal memory of the room was that it was unbelievably, inhumanely hot. One of the hottest shows I’ve ever endured, hands down. And since this past weekend was likewise brutal, I expected to sweat some upon my arrival, but was pleased to find both parking right across the street from the door down into the basement of Webster Hall proper and that once I got inside, the A/C had been turned on. Kayo Dot had already begun their set by the time I got there, but I saw a decent portion of it, a bearded Toby Driver calling out changes to his bandmates across a slew of keyboards, guitars, and eventually, horns.

I deduced it had been probably seven years since the last time I caught a Kayo Dot set — I remember it was The Saint in Asbury Park and everybody beat on a 55-gallon drum — but the group’s underlying methodology remained consistent in a kind of kitchen-sink wash of post-rock/metal noise complemented and contrasted by ambient stretches, vocals peppered here and there but far less consideration paid to audience than to the experiments of the songs themselves. I can dig that. I don’t need a band to dumb down its material for the sake of accessibility if that’s how they think of traditional songwriting, and whether or not that’s at the root of Kayo Dot‘s approach, they come off very self-aware in terms of celebrating their non-traditional aspects, and though they at one point toward the end kicked into an extreme wash of blastbeats and aggressive riffing, they seemed just as glad to dabble in minimalist droning earlier on.

Blackout were much fresher on my mind, having seen them at the St. Vitus bar opening for Kings Destroy and Acid King in February. I was into them then and pleased to find at Webster Hall that the enjoyment wasn’t a fluke. The trio have their heads dug deep into riffy stoner traditionalism, guitarist/vocalist Christian Gordy running Laney tones through an Orange half-stack while bassist Justin Sherrell (also of Bezoar; hey, where’s that new record?) backed him on vocals and matched wits with Taryn Waldman‘s headbanging crash. A few of their cuts I remembered from the last time around, perhaps most notably the stops and starts of the more extended “Seven,” which they recently included on their first demo/sampler, We are Here. While their sound isn’t quite so massive live as it is on that release, they had plenty of volume working in their favor anyway, and though during Kayo Dot‘s quiet stretches it was easy to hear the crowd chatter, Blackout left little space for such things between air-pushing riffs and bombastic plod.

The short version is they’re on their way to being a really good band. Already, they give a more than solid showing of both personality and quality of material on stage, and the songs, while upfront in terms of their structures, are lacking nothing in overall heavy appeal. I had thought it was curious they’d be playing second and Kayo Dot — who’ve been around for a decade and have five records out — would be in the opening slot, but all around, it seemed to be Naam‘s party, and Blackout did well as the centerpiece of the three acts. They quickly won over a boozy crowd, and by the time they were done they seemed to be fully entranced in their own sound, locked into a groove classically stoner metal but fast becoming their own. It was as exciting a lead-in as Naam could have wanted.

About that: I alluded to it just now, but it’s worth reiterating that the mood at the show was less that of a regular gig and more akin to a release party. Of course, Vow came out at the beginning of June, but Naam fresh off one tour and starting another, this was kind of their going-away. They seemed to know a lot of people in the crowd and the crowd in turn seemed well familiar with them. Spirits were universally high and even before Naam took the stage, the positive vibes were palpable. Even when Drunk Dude™ dumped his beer on my feetandthrew his hand in my face to flip off my camera en route to the even-more-inexplicable dickery of space rock moshing, there wasn’t much that was going to bring me down.

Here as at Desertfest, Naam played as a five-piece, with the additional guitars of Jeff Berner alongside those of Ryan Hamilton, who has eased his way into becoming a frontman-type presence for the band while also giving bassist/vocalist John Preston Bundy space on stage to take the fore. I wondered if maybe the band’s stylistic growth since acquiring John Weingarten for keys and backing vocals a few years back couldn’t have accounted for some of that ease, but once they started, it didn’t matter. With a focus rightfully placed on their newest material, they were as I’d hoped they’d be — ridiculously tight, markedly fluid and performing at a level that was only hinted at years ago when they started out as a trio proffering the Kingdom EP.

Highlights included the swarthy “Midnight Glow” and ethereal “Skyscraper” from Vow, and a joyously jammed version of “The Starchild” from 2012’s The Ballad of the Starchild EP (track streamed here) that Hamilton ended with a satisfied “the Starchild!” reminiscent of that time Beastie Boys were on Futurama and any number of other lounge-type pretensions. He was goofing around, of course, but it was indicative of the jovial feel of the show, drummer Eli Pizzuto keeping his aviators on for the duration while driving cuts like “Pardoned Pleasure” and stepping back for the spacier sections of “Beyond,” the grand finale of the newest album. Weingarten took a brief but well-earned solo, and when all five of them were working toward the same sonic destination — i.e. the culmination of that song — I was thankful for the attentiveness of the person working the Studio sound for how excellently balanced Naam sounded, Hamilton‘s vocals coming through those of Berner, Bundy and Weingarten but not so much as to dominate, the resulting stew only furthering the psychedelic churn playing out instrumentally, grounded but not undercut by Pizzuto‘s steady fills.

I was really glad I had taken my own advice and made the drive into the city. As ever, Naam closed out with “Kingdom,” but I was glad when they came back out and delivered the “one more song” the crowd was shouting for. By that time, whatever dance party was taking place upstairs at Webster Hall was well underway. In quiet sections and between songs, you could hear the thumping of electronic bass — 1, 2, 3, 4, all muffled thuds — and people trickled into and out of the Studio room here and there, one guy making the unfortunate mistake of grabbing a girl only to find himself pressed against the merch table as she rightly punched him in his asshole face, another couple comprised of a girl in her early 20s and her boyfriend roughly twice her age making out to the strains of Naam‘s encore, “Icy Row” from their 2009 self-titled debut, before meeting the limits of their (or at very least, her) attention span and going back upstairs. “Icy Row” hit a huge, swirling apex that left none wanting.

Outside, there had been no real break in the heat, but a line of people were making their way upstairs, ropes leading the way and perhaps providing some leverage to those already stumbling. No judgment to pass — I’m too old and too tired to dislike somebody for their taste in music; nine times out of 10 there are better reasons — but I was glad to be coming up from downstairs and only too happy to cut through the line on my way back across the street to the absurdly good parking spot, which I gave up reluctantly to head out of the city and off to some victorious late-night empanadas.

More pics after the jump. Thanks for reading.

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Kayo Dot Let the Horns Do the Howling

Posted in Reviews on April 13th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Sometimes it feels as though words like “experimental” were invented solely for critics to hide behind and explain away any bouts of unconventional creativity they may come across. “What do you mean this doesn’t have a chorus???” etc. Then sometimes you run into a collective like New York’s Kayo Dot, whose leader Toby Driver seems to have, by means of his output with the band, inserted himself into a lineage of avant-garde musicians that can be traced back over the last half-century to artists like John Coltrane and Peter Brötzmann all the way down to John Zorn and King Crimson’s proggy ramblings.

The latter is brought specifically to mind with Driver’s Adrian Belew-style vocal on “Calonyction Girl,” the opening track of Kayo Dot’s fourth studio album, Coyote (Hydra Head). Driver also handles bass duties throughout, but he’s by no means the whole show on the album. With both alto and tenor sax – courtesy of Daniel Means and Terran Olson, respectively – Tim Byrnes’ trumpet, David Bodie’s sundry percussives and the contributions of longtime member Mia Matsumiya on violin and guitar, Kayo Dot is as much a band on Coyote as it ever was. Each member has a specific role to play in the ultimately surprising and oddly engaging outcome.

Disjointed instrumentation is toyed with toward the latter moments of “Whisper Ineffable,” particularly between Byrnes on trumpet and Driver on bass, but there are also subtle injections of noise and drums throughout that confirm once again that nothing is ever simple with Kayo Dot. I’m not at all convinced Coyote has a straightforward moment, “Abyss Hinge 1: Sleeping Birds Sighing in Roscolux” being not much more than a 3:46 lead in for the 13:40 of “Abyss Hinge 2: The Shrinking Armature,” although the latter does see the horn section meet up, however briefly, for some memorable note runs, and that’s at very least planned out beforehand, Matsumiya’s violin and the drums playing out a patterned rhythm behind while the rumble of Driver’s bass provides a foundation.

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No, Kayo Dot’s New Album isn’t Out Yet; Yes, They are Announcing Their Next EP

Posted in Whathaveyou on March 22nd, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Hydra Head artsy rockers/metallers/experimentalists/thinky-thinky-doers Kayo Dot have yet to issue their new full-length, Coyote, which is due out, appropriately, on April 20. Nonetheless, the troupe, led by frontman Toby Driver, have embarked on their next offering already, dubbed Stained Glass. Some people just like to work. The PR wire has more:

Kayo Dot has entered the studio to begin recording their new EP, Stained Glass. The EP will consist of one, long composition of the same title, featuring the lineup of Coyote plus vibraphonist Russell Greenberg (Hi-Red Center, Yarn/Wire, Hunter/Gatherer). Kayo Dot will once again be recording with Jim Fogarty at Zing Studios in Westfield, MA — the man and studio behind Kayo Dot‘s Choirs of the Eye, Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue, Toby Driver‘s In The L..L..Library Loft, and maudlin of the Well’s Bath, Leaving Your Body Map, and Part the Second.

Additional recording will take place in various locations around the globe on portable four-track cassette and antique 1/4″ one-track reel-to-reel. The end result will be a dualistic rapport between Fogarty‘s super-clean, crystalline production and the intimate atmosphere of 2AM bedroom whispers. Stained Glass will be released by Hydra Head later in 2010.

Kayo Dot, “Whisper Ineffable” from Coyote:
Whisper Ineffable

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Kayo Dot Create Another Subgenre, Again

Posted in Whathaveyou on January 12th, 2010 by JJ Koczan

Say what you will about experimentalists Kayo Dot, their music is always two things: atmospheric and interesting. I don’t even think I heard 2008’s Blue Lambency Downward, but the band are back now with a new one called Coyote through Hydra Head, and it just might be time for me to catch up. Vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Toby Driver is also curating the month of February at NYC performance space The Stone, and the band will be doing a bunch of shows there with a bunch of varying lineups. More specific info on that is here. Here’s the PR wire goods on the album, which is due out April 6:

Coyote, Kayo Dot‘s fourth studio album, is a single, narrative-driven, long-form composition written with story and text provided by a close, terminally-ill friend of the band, Yuko Sueta, in the final stage of her life. Coyote was once again engineered by Randall Dunn (SunnO))), Earth, Six Organs of Admittance) in Seattle, Washington, forging a new genre of “goth fusion” which combines elements of early Cure, Faith and the Muse, and Bauhaus with Herbie Hancock‘s psychedelic album, Sextant, and Scott Walker‘s recent album, The Drift. The lyrics and story were constructed with deliberate melodrama to pay homage as well to the intended gothic vibe, expressing the protagonist’s loneliness and longing to be in a better place, and her journey through her own personal looking-glass through a hallucinatory world of fear and wonder.

The musical objective this time around was to create a piece of music that uses the sonic aesthetic of this specific era of gothic art-rock integrated with a more modern-classical approach to form and architecture. To achieve this, Kayo Dot has put together a new instrumentation, which features trumpet (provided by former Candiria trumpet player Tim Byrnes) and alto saxophone at the lead, backed up by violin, keyboards, piano, organ, bass guitar, percussion, and a pronounced lack of guitar across the album. This album also marks the return of former Kayo Dot member, Terran Olson, whose contributions were heard on the band’s 2003 debut, Choirs of the Eye, as well as with Kayo Dot‘s alter-ego, Maudlin of the Well. The music is also more rhythmically-driven than any previous Kayo Dot work, and being a performance-oriented composition, it was recorded mostly live (similar to 2006’s Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue). Coyote also brings back some of the aggression absent from 2008’s Blue Lambency Downward.

Tracklist for Coyote:
I. Calonyction Girl
II. Whisper Ineffable
III. Abyss Hinge 1: Sleeping Birds Sighing in Roscolux
IV. Abyss Hinge 2: The Shrinking Armature
V. Cartogram out of Phase

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