CHOIRS OF THE EYE

Hooray for Kayo Dot. I have been struggling to come to grips with this album for almost two years now and, well thats an obnoxiously long time. However, i think the complexity and depth of the music is, as the music is, so intense and ever changing that it took that long to fully understand what i was hearing. And what do i hear? Jazz, folk, the violent explosion of metal, electronics . . . all present. But above all is beauty. Majesty. The ebb and flow of musical tides. Dangerously violent cacophonies of sound threaten to drown us, threaten to pull you under and give up. Untill driver pulls the plug, allows the music to flow down, ebb away, and float into gorgeous sonic atmospheres. Delicate guitars, ethereal horns and brass, spoken word. Toby Driver has created the musical equivalent of a Jackson Pollack painting. People call it "pointless drudgery", "aimless", "childish" and they are all right at times. The music can be close to painful in the noise it creates, and some of the compositions are aimless and noisy. but people are also right in saying that Kayo Dot is visionary, brilliant, and exhilarating. Driver aims the groups musical cannon at the canvas and out explodes horns, guitar, voice, the jaggedness of metal and all those elements mentioned earlier; out this cannon comes crafted layers of sonic paint. Choirs is truly an adventure. please dont give up before you've had the chance to properly explore the sound scape. it may take 2 years, it make take less, it may take a lifetime (i wouldnt suggest that, its clearly not a healthy choice) but given time this album grows lush and beautiful. Its challenging music, and almost the masterpiece it intends to be.