Author Topic: Kayo Dot/maudlin of the Well/Toby Driver appreciation (merged) (Read 44307 times)

adace · « **Reply #175 on:** September 04, 2013, 01:24:59 AM »

So Hubardo is just nuts. It's not something you can form a well thought-out opinion about on the first listen imo, but I'm definitely digging it. Like everyone else here I'm gonna give it some more time.

Zantera · « **Reply #176 on:** September 04, 2013, 01:51:52 AM »

Hubardo might just be my album of the year so far. A lot to digest and a lot to get into, but wow.. what an album.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #177 on:** September 24, 2013, 08:09:43 PM »

Someone, please, tell me what Kayo Dot is like live!

Sigz · « **Reply #178 on:** September 25, 2013, 02:09:43 PM »

I saw them in a tiny club on the UK Coyote tour. They were excellent, even with a somewhat disappointing setlist. Great sound, very tight, no real visuals to speak of. They don't talk too much either, just get up and play. The Antique and On Limpid Form were absolutely devastating live.

Basically, I'd very much recommend it, especially since they tend to play very small clubs and such.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #179 on:** September 25, 2013, 02:39:10 PM »

Sweet! I'm going to go to at least one of their shows coming up in November, maybe even two. I expect the setlist will mainly be Hubardo (Album of the Year!), but I imagine anything from Choirs of the Eye would be astonishing to see live as well.

Zantera · « **Reply #180 on:** September 25, 2013, 02:56:30 PM »

Hubardo is still incredible. My album of the year so far.

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #181 on:** September 25, 2013, 05:08:57 PM »

Quote from: Zantera on September 25, 2013, 02:56:30 PM

Hubardo is still incredible. My album of the year so far.

It's up there for me. Top 3 probably.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #182 on:** September 25, 2013, 05:23:39 PM »

Out of curiosity, what are the other two?

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #183 on:** September 25, 2013, 05:33:02 PM »

At the moment, probably The Raven That Refused to Sing and Tomorrow's Harvest.

Shadow Ninja 2.0 · « **Reply #184 on:** May 01, 2014, 07:42:29 PM »

I've been really enjoying Part The Second lately, particularly Clover Garland Island. I also got Bath today, listening to it now.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #185 on:** May 01, 2014, 07:52:51 PM »

Speak of the devil! Just as I put on Choirs of the Eye for the first time in a couple months and check into DTF, a bump in this thread! Good choice on Bath, Shadow Ninja

Shadow Ninja 2.0 · « **Reply #186 on:** May 01, 2014, 07:56:03 PM »

Yeah, it's great so far. Unfortunately, I had to settle for the download, since I apparently missed the rerelease a few years ago. Hopefully they'll do another one sometime.

Zantera · « **Reply #187 on:** May 02, 2014, 07:38:28 AM »

Got my CD copy of Hubardo in the mail today. It's a limited (to 250 copies) release in Japan, so I'm happy I could get my hands on one. Still one of my favorites of 2014, such an incredible album.

sneakyblueberry · « **Reply #188 on:** May 25, 2014, 05:39:31 PM »

I ordered Part the Second on vinyl, at Christmas time. Hadn't arrived. Sorta forgot about it. Then got an email from Toby in April saying they were all out, that he was trying to get some more, and if he didn't, he'd refund me. It was a nice thing to wake up to. An email from Toby Driver.

Ultimetalhead · « **Reply #189 on:** May 25, 2014, 05:41:03 PM »

Yeah. When I got my Kayo Dot shirt, I got a call from my Mom saying I had a package from Toby Driver. Awesome.

Also Bath is easily one of the best albums ever made.

Zantera · « **Reply #190 on:** May 25, 2014, 05:50:14 PM »

Quote from: Ultimetalhead on May 25, 2014, 05:41:03 PM

Yeah. When I got my Kayo Dot shirt, I got a call from my Mom saying I had a package from Toby Driver. Awesome.

Also Bath is easily one of the best albums ever made.

I would personally hold Choirs of the Eye and Hubardo higher, but Bath is brilliant. motW has such a strong discography, all 4 albums are terrific. I need to check out more of the KD albums though. I only know CotE, Hubardo and Gamma Knife.

Ultimetalhead · « **Reply #191 on:** May 25, 2014, 05:52:00 PM »

I can maybe see Choirs of the Eye, but Hubardo has its face stomped into the ground by Bath. It's not even remotely close. There are parts of Hubardo that I love a lot, but so much of it just meanders along without any sense of direction or purpose. At least when Bath meanders it does so while constantly adding new layers and things to focus on.

Buddyhunter1 · « **Reply #192 on:** May 25, 2014, 05:54:17 PM »

Controversial opinion of the day:
While Bath definitely has higher highs, I think Leaving Your Body Map is more consistent in quality, and just a tad bit better overall.

Zantera · « **Reply #193 on:** May 26, 2014, 08:01:37 AM »

I actually used to think that Leaving Your Body Map was their best album for a long time. I haven't listened to maudlin in maybe a year, so I honestly don't know how I would rank their discography now, but maybe having those two albums tied. They are "twin" albums after all.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #194 on:** July 18, 2014, 10:14:49 AM »

Bump, bump, bumptitty bump bump. I found a nice surprise in my mailbox today!

Quote

Kayo Dot - Coffins on Io

Led by founding member Toby Driver (also of Secret Chiefs 3), 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.

In 2013, Kayo Dot demarcated the beginning of a sonic change by releasing their critically acclaimed conceptual double-albumHubardo. Undeniably experimental, but largely unclassifiable, Hubardo received rave reviews: SputnikMusic ranked it among their best albums of 2013, and CVLT Nation called it, “mesmerizing avant garde blackened doom,” and a “towering achievement.”

But when it comes to Kayo Dot, change is the only constant. And like the best pop culture chameleons of the past, Kayo Dot’s evolution is governed by an inscrutable inner-logic. Despite the accessible songwriting of Coffins on Io and the emphasis on vocal melody and electronic percussion, Kayo Dot fans will find the record’s darkness and intensity familiar and relatable. For example: the dark wave of Coffins on Io album-track “Off-ramp Cycle” might be unrecognizable to Kayo Dot’s metal fans. “The sound is kind of like a sexy combination of Type O Negative, Peter Gabriel, Sisters of Mercy,” Driver says. But the track also encompasses the brooding menace of classic Bauhaus as well as current dark wavers Cold Cave and Crystal Stilts: artists young and old who live and die in those unknowable corners where heaviness meets delicacy and sincerity meets theatricality.

Elsewhere, Driver’s penchant for prog rock surfaces in the ethereal “Spirit Photography,” complete with a saxophone melody line—strikingly gentle when compared to Kayo Dot’s brutal back catalog. “Long Time Disturbance on the Miracle Mile” could be a Bryan Ferry-era Roxy Music cut, and “The Mortality of Doves” could be Eno-produced David Bowie.

Driver says there’s also an element of sexuality in Coffins on Io.“Basically the vibe that we’re going for here is inspired by 80s retro-future noir— Blade Runner,” Driver explains. “I wanted to make a good record to put on while you drive across the desert at night under a toxic, post-apocalyptic atmosphere,” he says, adding, “There’s a weird underlying theme of murder, shame and death.”

Coffins on Io is slated for on October 16th release via San Francisco’s Flenser Records. Pre-orders and more information coming soon.

1. The Mortality of Doves
2. Offramp Cycle, Pattern 22
3. Longtime Disturbance on the Miracle Mile
4. Library Subterranean
5. The Assassination of Adam
6. Spirit Photography

Sounds very different from Hubardo, which I guess is to be expected with a Kayo Dot album. I love the short description here: "a good record to put on while you drive across the desert at night under a toxic, post-apocalyptic atmosphere". I'm going to do my best to keep my expectations low, but this is good news nonetheless!

Kilgore Trout · « **Reply #195 on:** July 19, 2014, 10:30:29 AM »

I like the fact that they are going in a different direction than hubardo, there would be no point in trying to top it in the same vein, plus it is really soon after hubardo. But the vocals have always been the very weak point of Kayo dot, so I hope it won't too vocal-oriented.

Zantera · « **Reply #196 on:** July 19, 2014, 10:44:40 AM »

Vocals the weak point? What have you been smoking? Toby Driver is brilliant. I'd put him in my top15 vocalists without a doubt in my mind.

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #197 on:** July 19, 2014, 12:32:46 PM »

Same. His "pained scream" sort of singing always gives me chills.

Buddyhunter1 · « **Reply #198 on:** July 19, 2014, 01:50:33 PM »

I listened to Choirs of the Eye a little while ago.

Wow, that was some of the most unique, pretentious-sounding music I've heard.
Interesting, but can't really say I'm into it.

senecadawg2 · « **Reply #199 on:** July 19, 2014, 02:28:50 PM »

Did you listen to it once?

Just asking because the first time I heard it I definitely didn't think it was something that I was into either. In fact, I could only take it in small doses the first couple times.

Buddyhunter1 · « **Reply #200 on:** July 19, 2014, 02:54:48 PM »

Twice.

I just don't like how structureless and freeform the whole thing is.

Kilgore Trout · « **Reply #201 on:** July 19, 2014, 03:14:07 PM »

Quote from: Zantera on July 19, 2014, 10:44:40 AM

Vocals the weak point? What have you been smoking? Toby Driver is brilliant. I'd put him in my top15 vocalists without a doubt in my mind.

You might like this type of wailing but he's a terrible singer. He hasn't got the slightess bit of technique, and has clearly never worked on his voice. The vocals are amateurish, especially compared to the solid musicianship behind them.

Shadow Ninja 2.0 · « **Reply #202 on:** July 19, 2014, 03:17:34 PM »

^ Rock solid facts up in here.

Zantera · « **Reply #203 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:12:08 PM »

If only Kayo Dot had a marvelous singer like James LaBrie.

Shadow Ninja 2.0 · « **Reply #204 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:20:43 PM »

Maybe this is just me, but responding to someone who's bashing a singer you like by... bashing another singer seems kind of counterproductive.

Zook · « **Reply #205 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:21:54 PM »

Quote from: Shadow Ninja 2.0 on July 19, 2014, 04:20:43 PM

Maybe this is just me, but responding to someone who's bashing a singer you like by... bashing another singer seems kind of counterproductive.

On a related note, isn't Protest the Hero just awful?

MoraWintersoul · « **Reply #206 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:24:09 PM »

Shadow Ninja 2.0 · « **Reply #207 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:25:09 PM »

Man, those dark themes look cool, but about 5 minutes later my eyes are bleeding. Alas.

Zantera · « **Reply #208 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:27:46 PM »

I don't necessarily mind different opinions, but in this case I felt it was phrased like "oh I feel sorry for you if you happen to like this mumbojumbo, but you're actually wrong and this is why..."

Aaaaaanyway... I'm stoked for the new album. Kayo Dot is one of my favorite bands, and even if the new album is drastically different from Hubardo, I'm still excited. The fact that they're already getting back up on the horse so fast after a double album, and the masterpiece that was Hubardo, that tells me they are confident in the songs they have written.

LieLowTheWantedMan · « **Reply #209 on:** July 19, 2014, 04:30:35 PM »

Quote from: MoraWintersoul on July 19, 2014, 04:24:09 PM

My thoughts exactly.

News: The staff at DTF wish to remind you all that a firm grasp of the rules of Yahtzee can save your life and the lives of your loved ones. Be safe out there.

Author Topic: Kayo Dot/maudlin of the Well/Toby Driver appreciation (merged) (Read 44307 times)