Kayo Dot – Gamma Knife
Posted on 25th Jan 12 by Jonathan Keane | 
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“…marks another chapter closed, and the opening of another, in the rich tale of Kayo Dot…”
When Toby Driver announced late last year his intentions and methods for recording a new Kayo Dot record, many a beard was stroked with equal measure of intrigue and curiosity. A live show in Brooklyn, New York would feature a set entirely of new material, it would be recorded and swiftly carried to a studio where dabbles of studio magic would be administered, with some of Driver’s home recordings. The end result? Gamma Knife, the New York avant-garde troupe’s latest offering and immediately after hitting play, it shines through with an esoteric brilliance, the kind of genius that has characterised any effort bearing the Kayo Dot mantle, and indeed any Toby Driver-led expedition.
Gamma Knife’s esotericism is one that is both confounding and engaging. Heavily layered and deeply abstruse, this an album drenched in the avant-garde, unashamedly so and one that makes drastic demands of the listener, requiring commitment and undivided attention. It’s a short commitment however, but still asking a lot. At 30 minutes and five songs, Gamma Knife is Kayo Dot’s shortest record yet but by no means their least evocative.
Flourishes of black metal still lurk in the loneliest crevices of the album, bearing their teeth at sporadic moments while the velveteen melodies fly loftily overhead. The album rings out a sense of freedom too, Gamma Knife has no reservations about the sound it is creating as coarse vocals often collide with erratic saxophone playing all bookended by fervent, busy drumming.
However, the whole cacophonous malaise is opened first by the heart-warming, serene scents of Lethe, where Driver’s clean, sumptuous voice captivates. For the remainder of Gamma Knife, he’s found wrenching out pained cries to complete the eccentric, sometimes even volatile, free air. By the closing title track, Driver has returned to clear, tranquil vocals suitably rounding off Gamma Knife in a conclusive manner, and marks another chapter closed, and the opening of another, in the rich tale of Kayo Dot.
Drop-d Rating: 8/10
Tags: avant-garde, black metal, Gamma Knife, Kayo Dot, prog rock, Toby Driver