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.
Clelia Walking
Kayo Dot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And there it rests, exhausted,
While in the visible room, a band continues to play.
The insensitive diviner, feeling ill.
The beetle rolled over and time stopped
Suddenly the gospel pages multiplied
And my entire bookshelf reversed itself.
I don't want to be the melody
I prefer the choking sow
Who, while taking every care to parry
Has wound up with her head in the ground
And each of us choking on the cannonball with a sound
Can't help but sleep until it's dark
And winter weighs on every bough
We watch you as you drown
And reach up to us on your way down
You're hanging from your toes in a tiffany redoubt
Come back and I'll tell you more...
The lyrics to Kayo Dot's song Clelia Walking are evocative and full of surreal imagery, requiring some interpretation to uncover their meaning. The first line, "The cathedral buried beneath another cathedral is where the glibbest instrument lay," seems to suggest a hidden, neglected place where a valuable but under-appreciated instrument lies dormant. This idea is reinforced by the next line, "And there it rests, exhausted," implying that this instrument has been used extensively in the past but has now fallen into disuse.
In the next line, "While in the visible room, a band continues to play," we have a contrast between this hidden place and the visible world where people continue to engage in music-making. This contrast between the hidden and the visible, the forgotten and the celebrated, continues throughout the rest of the song.
The line "The insensitive diviner, feeling ill" adds to the sense of unease and disorientation in the song. It seems to suggest that someone with the ability to see things that others cannot is struggling with their own physical or emotional pain.
The rest of the lyrics include more surreal imagery, with a beetle rolling over and time stopping, books reversing themselves, and the singer preferring to be the "choking sow" rather than the melody. The overall effect is dreamlike and almost hallucinatory, suggesting that the song is exploring the boundaries between waking reality and some other, more elusive realm.
Line by Line Meaning
The cathedral buried beneath another cathedral is where the glibbest instrument lay
A musical instrument with a deceptive appearance is hidden within a larger, fancier structure.
And there it rests, exhausted,
The instrument is tired and at rest.
While in the visible room, a band continues to play.
In plain sight, a music group is performing.
The insensitive diviner, feeling ill.
A person who lacks empathy is unwell.
The beetle rolled over and time stopped
An event causes time to stop.
Suddenly the gospel pages multiplied
Religious texts increased in number abruptly.
And my entire bookshelf reversed itself.
All the books on a shelf turned around and faced the opposite direction.
I don't want to be the melody
The artist does not want to lead or stand out.
I prefer the choking sow
The artist prefers someone who is struggling.
Who, while taking every care to parry
Even though they are trying to defend themselves carefully -
Has wound up with her head in the ground
- they end up face-down on the ground.
And each of us choking on the cannonball with a sound
Everyone is struggling to deal with a loud, heavy object.
Can't help but sleep until it's dark
There is no choice but to rest until night falls.
And winter weighs on every bough
The cold and darkness of winter is oppressive and overwhelming.
We watch you as you drown
Others are observing someone struggle and suffer.
And reach up to us on your way down
Even as they fall or fail, they try to connect with others.
You're hanging from your toes in a tiffany redoubt
Someone is hanging upside down in a fancy and secure area.
Come back and I'll tell you more...
There is more to the story and the singer invites someone to return and learn it.
Contributed by Savannah Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Cem Aydın Kulaz
Song is really good. Greetings to teacher Enis from Bilgi University :D
Efe Bezmez
kardeşim algı yapıyosun