Its lineup is constantly changing, but has consisted of Toby Driver, Ron Varod, Mia Matsumiya, Keith Abrams, Tim Byrnes, David Bodie, Dan Means and Terran Olson.
The music of Kayo Dot can not be accurately described by the limiting contemporary genre nomenclatures. Their songs involve complex instrumentation (composed by singer and frontman Driver), generally without refrain. They are substantially longer than typical rock songs, often ranging from 8 to 15 minutes in length.
Kayo Dot's second album Dowsing Anemone with Copper Tongue was released in January of 2006.
On May 6 2008, they released their third full-length, Blue Lambency Downward, on Hydra Head Records.
Their fourth album, recorded in June 2009, named Coyote, was released on 20 April 2010 on Hydra Head Records. It was later brought out on vinyl by Taiga Records in November 2010.
Their first EP, Stained Glass, was released in January 2011 by Hydra Head, with very little fanfare. It was later issued on vinyl by Antithetic Records in August 2011, with a "de-mix" of the song on the second side.
Their second EP, Gamma Knife, was self-released digitally via http://kayodot.bandcamp.com in January 2012. Antithetic Records produced a vinyl release in June 2012.
Their fifth album, Hubardo, was released digitally on August 2013, with a vinyl release to follow.
Their sixth album, Coffins on Io, was released on October 15, 2014 through experimental metal label The Flenser. It is a concept album, and the first full-length album from Kayo Dot not to be self-released since 2010's Coyote.
Side projects include Tartar Lamb, Tartar Lamb II, and maudlin of the Well (to which Kayo Dot can be considered a spiritual successor, though the two projects now co-exist). Toby Driver's solo album In the L..L..Library Loft is also a Kayo Dot album in all but name, mainly being released under his name due to the record label's preference.
Blue Lambency Downward
Kayo Dot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Whistled the lark as the arrow lost its way
The Blue lightless perfect-colored obfuscaire
Still supine, I crossed the sandy veil
Falling forever through each measure;
All moral minds sentinel
Falling to Hell
Breathe together,
Farewell.
The circle we drew as we moved but tried to look down was wiped away with the sound of the morning rooster's crow...
His tail was tied to a hammer and he dragged it to the horizon
In the hallway outside my bedroom door,
I heard the old dead sleigh gliding to its restful drones, purposely knocking the pictures off their nails.
With a vacancy ogling my sober inhalation, our curator's rocking to the rhythm of the rain on her carved hair here in this room, with the inverted torches at its barrier, where materia vibrated out.
Its vibration left a plume climbing its way up a blue-blessed curl, which was girdled by aurora of obliging black morel.
Then, I called and cried out while I minded the bell that dangled crazily closet edge of the basin of the rain which fell.
(It fell in the shape of a bifurcated ammonite shell).
A beacon as blue as a bowerbird's eye in the morn,
A poem written in threes over four,
My oeuvre based on the coy and forlorn,
Another boy's parallel night in the harrow,
And the quiet decline of my questionable rhythm.
Disinterested forever in upwards motion,
I hung out by the white chalk letters.
I watched my body move and let it.
The Kayo Dot song "Blue Lambency Downward" is an enigmatic piece that is difficult to unravel. The opening lines "Beneath the arc of the rounded rainbow ley, Whistled the lark as the arrow lost its way," sets an ethereal and surreal tone. The song seems to be describing a journey that involves falling through a measure, crossing a sandy veil, and being a sentinel to moral minds falling to hell. These descriptions could symbolize the struggle to find something deeper and meaningful in life. The lyrics then shift to a description of a hallway outside the singer's bedroom, with old dead sleigh gliding to its restful drones and rocking curators. The ambiguity in these lyrics creates an uneasiness and makes it difficult to discern the intended message.
The chorus "Falling forever through each measure; All moral minds sentinel, Falling to Hell, Breathe together, Farewell" seems to convey a sense of resignation, a giving up or letting go, perhaps of expectations or aspirations. The last lines "I watched my body move and let it" suggests a sense of detachment and surrender to events outside of one's control. The song might be describing the struggle to let go of one's desires and to surrender to fate or to a greater power, and to accept the unknown that lies ahead.
Line by Line Meaning
Beneath the arc of the rounded rainbow ley
Under the curved rainbow's arch
Whistled the lark as the arrow lost its way
The bird sang as the arrow veered off course
The Blue lightless perfect-colored obfuscaire
The perfect, colorless obfuscation
Still supine, I crossed the sandy veil
Lying down, I moved through the sandy plain
Falling forever through each measure;
Continuously descending through each beat
All moral minds sentinel
All conscious thoughts alert
Falling to Hell
Descending into Hell
Breathe together,
Take a breath together
Farewell.
Goodbye
The circle we drew as we moved but tried to look down was wiped away with the sound of the morning rooster's crow...
The path we traced while looking down disappeared at the sound of the rooster's crow
His tail was tied to a hammer and he dragged it to the horizon
The rooster's tail was attached to a hammer and he dragged it towards the horizon
In the hallway outside my bedroom door,
In the hallway by my bedroom
I heard the old dead sleigh gliding to its restful drones, purposely knocking the pictures off their nails.
I heard the old, motionless sled moving and knocking pictures off the wall on purpose
With a vacancy ogling my sober inhalation, our curator's rocking to the rhythm of the rain on her carved hair here in this room, with the inverted torches at its barrier, where materia vibrated out.
In this room with upside-down torches, our curator rocks to the sound of rain on her carved hair, while I breathe in and gaze around empty-minded
Its vibration left a plume climbing its way up a blue-blessed curl, which was girdled by aurora of obliging black morel.
The vibration created a plume ascending a blue spiral, encircled by an aurora of obliging black morel
Then, I called and cried out while I minded the bell that dangled crazily closet edge of the basin of the rain which fell.
Then I shouted and watched the bell hanging by the rain basin's rim, swaying wildly
(It fell in the shape of a bifurcated ammonite shell).
(It fell in the shape of a split ammonite shell)
A beacon as blue as a bowerbird's eye in the morn,
A morning beacon as blue as a bowerbird's eye
A poem written in threes over four,
A poem written in groups of threes, with four in each group
My oeuvre based on the coy and forlorn,
My work based on the shy and desolate
Another boy's parallel night in the harrow,
Another boy's similar night of hardship
And the quiet decline of my questionable rhythm.
My uncertain beat slowly fades away
Disinterested forever in upwards motion,
Perpetually uninterested in moving upward
I hung out by the white chalk letters.
I stood by the white chalk letters
I watched my body move and let it.
I observed my body move and allowed it
Contributed by Elliot P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.