New Kayo Dot album 'Coyote' out April 20th

[Sigz]

https://blogs.villagevoice.com/music/archives/2010/02/premiere_kayo_d.php

New York art-proggos Kayo Dot have broken metal's final taboo. Sure, they've been living on the bleeding edge of avant-metal for three albums, filling their impenetrable stew with freeform jazz, unglued Stravinsky, and King Crimson's most abstract blurble--but they may have broken metal's only commandment on upcoming fourth album Coyote, due April 6 on Hydra Head. "Not really any guitar on this album," says frontman Toby Driver. "A tiny bit, but it doesn't even sound like guitar, so it perhaps doesn't really count. There's that quest to make some brutal rock sans guitar." In turn, Coyote is a 40-minute narrative composition that swirls with cooing violins, whining trumpets, jangling xylophones, and haunting blasts of cosmic debris--easily their most cohesive, heavy-hitting and best album yet. Influenced by early '80s goth and Herbie Hancock's more psychedelic excursions, Coyote is a mini-suite that's at once punishing, sad and gloriously free. The 11-minute "Whisper Ineffable" is the album's second act, an indescribable gust of jazz-fusion, minimalist John Hassell trumpet howl, Zappa-esque blender-benders, and Hawkwind-ready space junk. Says Driver, "I mean, almost everything about this one is different for Kayo Dot, but what makes it familiar to our identity is the escapist quality, the adventurousness, and my compositional idiosyncrasies that I hope, at this point in my life, are recognizably unique to me."

Kayo Dot frontman Toby Driver on "Whisper Ineffable"

What is "Whisper Ineffable" about?

That track is the second movement in the overall five-movement suite of Coyote, so in terms of the greater narrative, this track is the part of the story in which the protagonist, the Calonyction Girl, is lying there feeling all terrible, and she sees her heart and viscera climb out of her body and stretch around the dark room, helping her to separate herself from her sensations. This enables her to have visions, which she draws in the air. The images become connected to one another by the organs and viscera, creating a map, which she dreamily enters.

How did this song come about?

The first three minutes of this movement were the first elements of Coyote that were written. The entire remainder of the album is based around that, musically. My inspiration was partially sonic--my exploration of this particular '80s art-goth bass guitar sound mixed with unisons of clarion trumpet and alto sax with tons of reverb--and partially in the narrative, which had been provided by Yuko Sueta. Since I had this objective in mind to faithfully use these particular art-goth aesthetics, it was especially tricky and time-consuming to come up with parts that communicated this well... What I mean is, I couldn't just write something that "sounded good"--all the parts actually had to follow a specific set of rules in order to communicate this era effectively. So, a lot of time was spent trying to find phrases that worked with the whole 40-minute composition, but also fit into this set of rules. For example, the bass had to use a lot of open "G" string in order to sound like, say, The Cure's Disintegration, but then we had to find out how to fit this open G into consistent harmonic content across the album while still sounding like there was a lot of motion, avoiding droning.

Tell me about making some of these spacy sounds.

Terran Olson, our keyboardist, says that the swooshy-wooshy sounds were made by a micro-Moog, and the zappy sounds were made via granular synthesis using the original horn tracks, all cut-up and vilified. The vibe and color changes throughout the movement--the opening is loneliness, and emptiness, feeling lost, which becomes action and fear, which becomes a violent spewing, which becomes a calm yet morbid resolution. The synth, by adding an element of non-pitch-oriented texture, hopefully extends the music three-dimensionally. Atmosphere!

Whisper Ineffable: https://vvoice.vo.llnwd.net/e12/4451318.0.mp3

Interesting. Not quite what I was expecting, but I like it.

[j]

Sweet, looking forward to it!

-J

[faemir]

The lack of replies to this thread makes me disappoint.

[sonatafanica]

Isn't the singer guy from maudlin of the Well? If it's anything like them, I'm in.

[Sigz]

Isn't the singer guy from maudlin of the Well? If it's anything like them, I'm in.

They're not terribly similar to motW except for their first album, Choirs of the Eye, which is fucking AMAZING.

[Quadrochosis]

The idea of no guitar on a metal album is really intriguing. I love motW but know nothing of Kayo Dot.

[Sigz]

The idea of no guitar on a metal album is really intriguing. I love motW but know nothing of Kayo Dot.

Step 1: Listen to this https://www.kayodot.net/mp3/manifold_curiosity.mp3
Step 2: smile pants.

[Portrucci]

Only have Blue Lambency Downward and don't really like it. Will this album be a lot different?

[Sigz]

Only have Blue Lambency Downward and don't really like it. Will this album be a lot different?

Not really sure yet. Like I said before, check out Choirs of the Eye, it's a lot different (and better) than Blue Lambency (though I love BLD as well).

https://www.kayodot.net/mp3/manifold_curiosity.mp3

[shadowfex]

Choirs of the eye is a very good album, the first half of the manifold curiosity is musical bliss. However, i'm still not too fond of marathon and the antique.

I am interested in this new album though and checking out some more of Maudlin of the well.

[Sigz]

Choirs of the eye is a very good album, the first half of the manifold curiosity is musical bliss. However, i'm still not too fond of marathon and the antique.

Fact: Choirs of the Eye is the greatest album ever recorded.

[TheOutlawXanadu]

Good news.

[Dr. SeaWolf]

I picked up Dowsing Anemone a while ago and couldn't get into it.  Maybe I'll give it another listen or two.

The only motW I've heard is Part the Second, which is a phenomenal album.

[shadowfex]

Choirs of the eye is a very good album, the first half of the manifold curiosity is musical bliss. However, i'm still not too fond of marathon and the antique.

Fact: Choirs of the Eye is the greatest album ever recorded.

Haha I enjoy the album and tracks 2-4 are all fantastic (trying to meet you half way).

[Sigz]

Choirs of the eye is a very good album, the first half of the manifold curiosity is musical bliss. However, i'm still not too fond of marathon and the antique.

Fact: Choirs of the Eye is the greatest album ever recorded.

Haha I enjoy the album and tracks 2-4 are all fantastic (trying to meet you half way).

NO THERE CAN BE NO COMPROMISE ON THIS

NONE AT ALL

NEVER

[Sigz]

Ordered my copy, hopefully it will get here in a somewhat timely fashion.

Also from their webpage:

We also have begun working on a new EP. More details will be released soon, but for now, we can tell you that starting March 18, we'll be doing this one at Zing Studios in Westfield, MA again with Jim Fogarty - the studio and man behind our albums Choirs of the Eye, Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue, Toby Driver's In The L..L..Library Loft,and maudlin of the Well's Part The Second, Bath, and Leaving Your Body Map. Watch this space for more news soon!

[Sigz]

JUST GOT IT!!!!

Also came with a CD-R of a Kayo Dot concert from their European tour last year, and a single live track of Tartar Lamb playing from last month, which is cool because I've been meaning to check them out for a while. It was actually shipped from Toby Driver, who's address is in the return address. BRB stalking.

[Sigz]

No one else has this yet?

[Portrucci]

No one else has this yet?

I was about to order it. But in a word, tell me if it's good or not 

[Sigz]

Uhh.. depends. It's certainly a continuation of BLD, though I think it's actually better. Still, if you don't like Blue Lambency, you're probably not gonna dig this album a whole lot. Listen to the song that was posted in the OP, and that'll give you a good indication of what the album's like.

Also, have you heard Choirs of the Eye? I think you'd definitely enjoy that album.

[Portrucci]

Listening to that song in the OP now. It is interesting. Some really cool drumming actually. To be honest, I haven't heard BLD for a very long time, so my opinion of it may change next listen. But so far, I'm liking the stuff off Coyote. Especially the tense ambient/electronic sort of sections. I think I shall pick this up. If it's shit, I will send you the bill  

[Sigz]

 

BLD is a really fantastic album IMO. It took a few spins to get into, but one day it just clicked for me. I'm really enjoying Coyote as well.

[Super Dude]

The idea of no guitar on a metal album is really intriguing. I love motW but know nothing of Kayo Dot.

Step 1: Listen to this https://www.kayodot.net/mp3/manifold_curiosity.mp3
Step 2: smile pants.
Step 3:
Step 4: Profit

Fixed

[Sigz]

From their news letter:

Thirdly, we are working on a new EP right now, also for Hydra Head, which is called "Stained Glass". It, of course, doesn't sound like anything else we've done, so keep your ears peeled. One thing I can say about it, though, is that it's really "pretty" - just like actual stained glass! We're aiming to finish it this summer, and have it available for sale on tour later this year