Music: Kayo Dot - Coyote

2010 has been a rough year for me. My relationship with musical culture has been tested with disappointments for 4 straight months. It is my own fault because after such a strong year for metal, my appetite became insatiable. I was expecting albums of equal or higher calibre than what i saw in 2009 and it just didn't happen. So, i might be taking another break from metal, which leaves me with a question. After all the detours i've taken over the years, what branch of music is most deserving of my attention, of my harsh judgment?

Then i stumbled upon Coyote by Kayo Dot, and the answer became abundantly clear. I've dabbled in Avant-rock and other related progressive genres before but never dove headfirst into the atonal, dissonance before. If Coyote is any indication of the quality of music being produced by these undefinable genres i'm in for an interesting journey.

Kayo Dot has been on the periphery of my attention for a few years, having been a fan of maudlin of the Well way back when i first started getting into heavy music. They began by releasing similar music to what they released under their previous moniker, but gradually travelled into the world of avant-rock with each release since their debut. Coyote seems to be the destination where the tones and composition have settled into something of a distinctive and recognizable style. Previous albums seemed to wander, seemed to question their own existence and what purpose they had in the world of music, but on Coyote it seems the musicians have made a decision of what they want Kayo Dot to be.

The music on Coyote is at times unsettling, at times minimalist, at times chaotic, but it never loses it's sense of balance, which is ultimately why this album is so enjoyable. To picture the composition of the album, the first image that comes to mind is an empty room. The tonal clarity gives such vivid sense of space and every instrument inhabits different locations in that space. Often times each instrument is operating without obvious regard to other instruments until they resolve and that moment is at the same time beautiful and fully satisfying. The pacing of percussion is complex as well, with no discernible tempo or metre, the timing is part of the bigger complex composition and can't be separated into definable parts. Sometimes the album charges forward, sometimes creeps into seemingly unrelated tangents, sometimes comes to a complete stop only to be started again at the will of these talented musicians. After spending so much time with metal, where techniques are so fast the only option is to fit them into simple structures that repeat over and over again, it's incredibly refreshing to encounter a composition that moves like the wind, uncontrolled and unpredictable.

Highly recommended for those who can listen to interpretive music that pays no mind to traditional composition.

5/5