DOWSING ANEMONE WITH COPPER TONGUE

In this album, Kayo Dot's leads their experimentation intents to the limits. But the price the album pays is that, though with exceptions, in most parts of its avant-gardeness, the music runs in a tremendous vacuum of feelings, so empty as it flows. That's the problem with Avant-gard music itself, may it be rock or classical, and I do not want to enter deeply in this discussion. Though the avant-gardness, the album is not as revolutionary as it might indiciate. Most of its ideas bands like Novembre, Pelican, Type O Negative, Godspeed You Black Emperor, Mahavishnu Orchestra or No-Man have experimented before.

The notorious exception I refered before is the last track, "Amaranth the Peddler", in which the band achieved a great skill - the mellow guitars, funereal ambience and the symphonic avant-gard lines are combined in a delicate way, creating a very deep and somewhat original structure. In the rest of the album, the band does not reach such success. "Gemini Becoming the Tripod", the opener, it's the most difficult track to accept, mostly because Greg Massi's vocal posture, screaming almost to the vomit, blended with avant-gard cacophony. It transmitts few more than rage. Minimalism at its peak is also the trademark of "... on Limpid Form". "Immortelle and Paper Caravelle" shows the different side of the band, more delicate, blending feeled metaphisical textures, celestial heartbreaking voice and symphonic arrangements a la No-Man. "Aura on a Asylum All" is as captivating as the previous track, well achieved, making remeber Mahavishu Orchestra with its symphonic arrangements.

Sometimes the band gets blind with experimentation and forgets they are playing music, not a collection of sounds or noises. But othertimes the result is, not being completely revolutionary as GY!BE did years ago, something interesting and worth it. The band shows, at times, to have nice sensibility. But, for those who seek GY!BE similarities, it may be disappointed as it does not reach its deepness. 3,5 stars.