1. Kayo Dot - Choirs of the Eye
So fragile yet so empty, so ostentatious, exemplary even, yet so grandiose in nature.
Let me describe a little scene for you and you only, my good and humble friend. Imagine seeing something, something twisted beyond visible comprehension. Something utterly infallible yet inextricably touching. An event on a gargantuan scale, akin to witnessing The Big Bang, the start of it all, apparent at the dawn of time. The ambivalent flourishes that inhibit 2001 A Space Odysseys memorable closing reel the starchild lurks peacefully in an infinite lurch of blackness. Both empty and vivacious. Both perfect, inextricable, audacious all of these precarious statements are apt. Pretentious thing to say? Maybe so. But it is hard to praise something, love something without all of these things. And this is why I’m writing this. To comprehend my wandering thoughts. To illicit the spread (however small) of Kayo Dot, and of course Toby Driver, one of the most visceral, original and brilliant musicians to be found today. We need people like him. We need people who are willing to divulgate into uncharted waters. And the rest of us? The monotonous hangers on of an age who still aim to mimic the Dylans and MacCarthys of this world are still sadly, rampant. Lets change. We, us, human beings, we are capable of so much if we work together and put our wonderful minds to it. Think about this one for an example. People made this. Someone, a living breathing human being created, slaved over and composed THIS. It boggles the mind, how someone like Driver can possess a mind so intrinsic, to have that much creativity and hindsight, to be whatever he wants to be, whenever he wants to be. Makes me feel insipid, a worthless pot smoking degenerate, in wholly and dutiful comparison.
Choirs Of The Eye is a very special album for me. Early September 2007 was when I discovered it, a fruitful recommendation from a user on his website. It was an odd time for me, and as the summer veers towards an unwarranted close, what with the Leaving Cert hanging around the corner, its about to start all over again. To think that this is a debut album as well! As accomplished and as meticulously crafted as this! Well, it is and it isn’t. Drivers old band Maudlin Of The Well had become a bit of a cult hit circa 2002. Signing to John Zorn’s Tzadik label, the band changed names, a few people went their separate ways, and it began. As amazing and as incredulous Maudlin Of The Well were with the Leaving Your Body Map/Bath combination, this was something completely leftfield altogether. The culmination of Toby Drivers music ability to date. Five seamless, layered compositions which shift from darkness to poignancy. “Marathon” is like a universe in itself, seemingly vast, never ending (or even without an ending) and most of all perfection. Oh so perfect. Shredding doom metal blast give us a taste of what is to come, before the song settles into a sporadic jazz piece compete with clarinet. Voices move in an out, confusion, hell almost fear sinks in. Suddenly it happens. The guitars lurch forward with sheer venom, Driver adopts one of the most FRIGHTENING set of screaming vocals I’ve ever had the pleasure of listening to , and then we’re in hell. The guitars man. I have never heard guitars sound as evil, as powerful, and as domineering as on Choirs Of The Eye. They destroy you, they break you down, they crush whatever narrow minded perceptions of music you may or may not have had. Things quiet down later on in the song, a smooth contemplation of various instruments, a warped, eccentric drumbeat that doesn’t sound quite right. Its one of most beautiful segments of music I’ve ever heard, never, EVER want it to end. See? I’m sounding pretentious again! Drifting away, from something to nothing, a cryptic spoken word dialect concludes the piece, and we want more, hell I want more. The best is yet to come however.
“A Pitcher Of Summer” is only piece on the album that could be considered anything along the lines of a conventional song, but if anything it shows Drivers sheer skill in vocals. Jeff Buckley one minute, Lord Worm the next. I consider “A Pitcher” to be the weakest song here, more of an interlude . But the climax, the merging of a subversive jazz virtuoso with a death metal outfit, is so good, it would be impeccable to not mention it. Bands the world over would dream to make a song as visceral and as moving as this one. Back on track, fifteen minute centrepiece “The Manifold Curiosity” is a monster in every sense of the world, a compendium of emotions, thoughts and dreams, one of the most brilliant pieces of music ever composed, one of my favourite songs of all time. Swirling woodwind instruments initiate you into its dark decrepit world, a page turning in a book, a lone acoustic guitar. Divers voice is distorted beyond all comprehension (just to make sure things aren’t THAT accessible) and its eerie, a masterwork in exercised tension. 4:45 and the guitars come in again, knocking you off your feet. But motherfucker!! Toby starts soloing with a piccolo and christ! I dunno what it sounds like, I’ve never heard anything QUITE like it since. Akin to a vacuous human voice, drowned out by evil, fear, crushing powerful machines. Celestial like in its power, an effortless cross of two genres which in reality, shouldn’t have a damn thing to do with each other. Once it cools down, we’re left with more voices, and another spoken word section reminiscent of “Marathon” all that time ago. Utterly indecipherable, but it builds up and up, all the instruments becoming more predominant as time goes on. But brace yourself, around the ten minute mark one evil metal riff comes in and the band goes crazy, pure fucking CHAOS. Everyone starts soloing, all the instruments falling on top of each other. Then Drivers vocals come in…..and FUCKING HELL, ISNT THE MANIFOLD CURIOSITY LIKE THE GREATEST FUCKING THING ON THE PLANET?!. The last four minutes of this THING, are a compendium of brutal malicious instruments , manic guitar solos, Drivers hellbent grind core vocals, it doesn’t make much sense yet it does at the same time. As I’m sitting here now, there is NOTHING, nothing in music that matches “The Manifold Curiosity” and its ominous conclusion. Can’t think of a thing! Last minute or so, the song cuts out to a down and dirty doom metal riff, and the song abruptly cuts out. Like I’ve said many a time in adherence to Choirs: Perfection. Sheer, bloody perfection. Easily the best thing here of course, but the fact that the closing two songs are still masterpieces in their own right, prove what we REALLY are dealing with here.
Give “Wayfarer” a bit of time. It seams a bit meandering and structure less at first but in reality, it is nothing less then gorgeous . The vocals remind me of Thom Yorke, the angelic and sonorous string arrangements that accompany it remind me of Sigur Ros, at the end of the day, you NEED to hear this track, simple. Moreso, you NEED something like this to cool you down, after the violence you’ve witnessed in the last track. But its so LOVELY!! Exemplary acoustic work offer a stark contrast with what you’ve heard before, the most vocally predominant track on the album. About six minutes in, there’s a little intermission, a small gap of silence. A lone bass guitar plays about three or four notes over and over again, then christ on a bike!!, check out that “stalks of lapis lazuli groaning against a tired breeze” vocal bit…good god, that is one of the saddest and touching segments of music on the planet. The intensity of the song grows, multiple Drivers start singing to you…and that VIOLIN!! But it doesn‘t last like this for long! “Wayfarer” proceeds to do a nasty, a blistering guitar solo ambush, (talk about capricious) an unforgettable flawless climax (this, THIS is why I listen to music, sends a shiver down my spine every time) before the song inevitably drifts away and dies down. Closing piece “The Antique” is a thing of unforeseen beauty, epic, serene, and unforgettable. You know I’ve spent fifteen hundred or so words describing four songs? Fo shizzle! “The Antique” for the most part is the most minimalist piece on the album, but it never EVER fails to frighten me (2:55, what the FUCK is that thing in the background, its terrifying beyond words) a soundtrack to a David Lynch movie yet to be made. The climax is the equivalent of being run over by a freight train, layered doom metal riffs, canorous, tortured yelps, and a crescendo like no other. Post Rock? Progressive Metal? Nah, this is much more than that. This is MORE that ANYTHING. And what else do we have? Piano ballads, distorted vocals, a lone trumpet, a cherished memory. Truth be told, you could live and die inside this song. The best album of the decade, Toby Drivers musical masterstroke, and the album that ruined music for me. If that doesn’t persuade or mean ANYTHING to you, nothing hell, heaven or earth ever will.
That's a random review I found, there are tons of em talking about it. Ok I think I've taken enough space with just one album, but the other twos would be maudlin of the Well albums. |
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United States. Oct 12 2008 17:37. Posts 10197
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