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.
Amaranth the Peddler
Kayo Dot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
...and the roaring of a lion"
Swept up by the downy wings of angels
Made from a heaven-laden voice
I float with all the weight of ether
It pilots an aerie merchant ship
Courses waged by hermit to lonesome starry shoes
Bequeath their secret entryways
Lighthouses watch fervently the horizons of the soul
But Amaranth the peddler waxes poetic to Mnemosyne
His unmasked eyes deliver lunacy
It is a countless hour stealing further into landscapes seldom drawn
Even in a demon's troubled head
He sells his wares to vampires
In bottles cork'd by woe
Dreams in liquid lift their eyes
To Morpheus enthroned
Upon a poppy field breathing
Slight all alone
Feather from a lofty wish
Fail on their own and fall wearily to Earth
A stirring by the nightstand causes the lamp to lift its voice
"Alack, a purloined dream
Again distills thy trembling eye!
What mystery remaineth ever so?
Amaranth, a curse doth write itself
Upon thy spectral frame
A thousand lives, a thousand days
Disgraceth thus thy name!"
The lyrics to Kayo Dot's song Amaranth the Peddler speak to the mystical and imaginative world that the singer Amaranth inhabits. The first two lines, "A thunderbolt in the northern sky...and the roaring of a lion," evoke a sense of power and awe at the grandeur of nature. This sets the stage for the rest of the imagery in the song, as we are transported into a world where angels, ether, and phantasmagoric waters are the norm.
As we float along with the weightless Amaranth on his merchant ship, we are shown glimpses of otherworldly landscapes and secret entryways to distant stars. The lighthouses that watch over these horizons represent the inner guidance that is necessary to navigate the complex and often frightening terrain of the soul. However, Amaranth seems to have a different relationship with this inner world, as he waxes poetic to Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory.
Amaranth's unmasked eyes deliver lunacy, suggesting that he has been consumed by the very world he sought to explore. His wares, which he sells to vampires in bottles corked by woe, are dreams in liquid form that transport the consumer to Morpheus's realm. The poppy field referenced in the last stanza is a nod to the opium-induced dream state that was popularized in 19th-century literature.
The song creates a vivid and surreal world that is both beautiful and frightening. Amaranth represents a seeker who has lost his way and is slowly succumbing to the madness of his own mind. The imagery and symbolism in the lyrics mirror the struggles of the human psyche in trying to make sense of the inexplicable.
Line by Line Meaning
Swept up by the downy wings of angels
I am lifted and carried by the gentle touch of divine beings
Made from a heaven-laden voice
The angels' voices are so divine that they seem to come from a heavenly realm
I float with all the weight of ether
I am weightless, like the air or the sky itself
It pilots an aerie merchant ship
The divine force carries me on an ethereal ship, like something out of a fairy tale
Courses waged by hermit to lonesome starry shoes
The paths navigated by those who seek solitude and the stars
Bequeath their secret entryways
They offer a way to enter secret realms
Lighthouses watch fervently the horizons of the soul
Guiding beacons watch over our inner selves and seek to lead us towards enlightenment
But Amaranth the peddler waxes poetic to Mnemosyne
Amaranth, a wandering merchant, speaks poetically to the goddess of memory
His unmasked eyes deliver lunacy
His eyes reveal madness and chaos lurking beneath the surface
It is a countless hour stealing further into landscapes seldom drawn
He spends countless hours exploring secret worlds that are rarely seen by human eyes
Even in a demon's troubled head
These landscapes are so otherworldly, even a demon's mind would struggle to conceive them
He sells his wares to vampires
He trades his goods with creatures of the night, who thirst for more than just blood
In bottles cork'd by woe
His merchandise is sealed with sorrow and despair
Dreams in liquid lift their eyes
When his potions are consumed, the drinker's very dreams come alive
To Morpheus enthroned
The drinker is transported to the realm of the god of sleep and dreams
Upon a poppy field breathing slight all alone
The dreamer finds themselves in a peaceful, quiet place, surrounded by the soothing scent of poppies
Feather from a lofty wish
A tiny piece of a very grand dream
Fail on their own and fall wearily to Earth
Even the grandest of dreams can be fragile and fleeting, and may fail to come true
A stirring by the nightstand causes the lamp to lift its voice
A disturbance awakens the lamp and it begins to speak
"Alack, a purloined dream
"Alas, a stolen dream
Again distills thy trembling eye!
Once again, your very eyes betray your innermost desires
What mystery remaineth ever so?
What secrets and enigmas lurk within the human heart?
Amaranth, a curse doth write itself
Amaranth, cursed by his own deeds and misfortunes
Upon thy spectral frame
Amaranth's spirit, trapped and haunted by his own choices
A thousand lives, a thousand days
Amaranth's past is filled with countless lives and stories, each lasting only a fleeting moment
Disgraceth thus thy name!"
His reputation forever tarnished and stained by his past
Contributed by Maria F. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@milkmanswife93696
alack, a purloined dream again distills thy trembling eye
@wakeforldmusic
classick
@prophecyBC
stressing "sick" :)