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Kayo Dot - Choirs Of The Eye
Quote:
The year 2003 saw avantgarde metal band Maudlin of the Well change its name to the equally esoteric Kayo Dot, join the roster of John Zorn’s Tzadik record label (thereby somewhat acrimoniously terminating their tenure with Dark Symphonies), and release an album that is far and beyond better than anything released under their previous moniker.
Choirs of the Eye was released as part of Tzadik’s Composer series of albums, which is to say that a large part of the albums in question were composed via classical theory. The normally restrictive confines of classical composition (yes, I am a notoriously lazy musician) do not really come into play as the music itself leaves a lot of room in which the members can improvise and noodle around on their respective instruments. Whereas Maudlin of the Well’s more experimental (read: weird) moments were occasionally forced in approach, Kayo Dot tends to go about things in a much more organic and moody way. It seems as if the band’s intent was to create and obtain a mood without so much weirding their listeners out, and while it does have its revved up, doomed out, and intense moments (witness the utterly awesome, almost Weakling-inspired black metal cacophony that comes about at around the 10:30 mark of “The Manifold Curiosity”), Choirs of the Eye is mostly a pensive and moving affair that has more in common with the releases of Talk Talk, Cerberus Shoal (with whom the band has recently toured), and The Dirty Three than with any that of any metal band I can think of offhand.
To close, I will say this: I wish that Dark Symphones did not take Kayo Dot’s departure so personally, as they are now witholding the release of MotW’s back-catalogue, thereby robbing fans of some truly great music. Let us hope that they shape up before the albums are forgotten entirely. In the meantime, we can rejoice in the release of this album and, hopefully, many albums to come.
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