Check Out a New Kayo Dot Song “Library Subterranean”
Toby Driver, you crazy bastard. Not even a year after the release of the spectacular Hubardo, Kayo Dot are back with another new album, Coffins on Io, the fourth track of which, “Library Subterranean”, is now available for streaming from Brooklyn Vegan.
As touched on in my interview with guitarist Ron Varod, this album represents a pretty radical stylistic shift from just about all their previous work, yet “Library Subterranean” still retains some (somewhat obfuscated) touchstones from each of their previous albums. The epic compositional scope of Choirs of the Eye and Hubardo is present, as is Coyote‘s oblique sense of melody.
The song seamlessly flows between a goth-y, spaced out intro to synth-driven art pop before a syncopated groove enters. The song continues to develop before reaching its climax, a gorgeously dark sax solo courtesy of Dan Means over shifting riffs provided by the rest of the band. Brooklyn Vegan’s Ian Chainey calls it “a pulsating thrum that’s Meshuggah if played by Ashra, and then with a biting/corrosive guitar-led chase that’s straight Voivod” transitioning “into King Crimson in a volume duel with Urban Sax.” The song moves from something like a darker Kid A or a minimalist take on Seventeen Seconds to something right out of mid-period Ulver with some The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway thrown in for good measure all within the first four minutes or so. Like any new Kayo Dot material, it’s going to take some time to digest completely, but if this is any indication the rest of the album should be incredible.
Stream “Library Subterranean” on Brooklyn Vegan here.
Coffins on Io is set for release October 16th on Flenser Records. Preorder here!
