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.
Symmetrical Arizona
Kayo Dot Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Slipped her stockings straight
And fluttered to the choir below
And tied herself to the countertenor
Leftmost in the frontmost row.
I saw her path before she even fell
And that is why I stood beneath the bell
And from the bottom up,
Its details stark and doubted
Ignite an uproar in stained-glass
And sound the trumpets of vanity
With knowledge of a monument erased
I'm the woodpecker on the chimney
Digging at the wrong stone
But blithely shaking off an ordinary brown
Those faded feathers somersaulting low across the road
In Symmetrical Arizona, Kayo Dot tells the story of a woman who falls from a bell tower and ties herself to one of the singers in the choir below. The first part of the song describes the actions of the woman, who is slipping her stockings straight and tying herself to the countertenor. The singer of the song saw her path before she even fell and was waiting beneath the bell tower. The details of the bell tower, with its stained-glass windows and sound of the trumpets, are highlighted and contrasted with the woodpecker on the chimney, who is digging at the wrong stone.
The second part of the song describes the aftermath of the woman's fall. The singer describes himself as an ordinary woodpecker, who is digging at the wrong stone, but is still able to shake off his faded feathers and continue on. The woman who fell from the bell tower is compared to a monument that has been erased, erased from this world by her own actions. The song conveys a sense of loss, but also a sense of resilience, as even the ordinary woodpecker can keep going despite the tragedy that has occurred.
Line by Line Meaning
The Ribbon of the Bell
The rope attached to the bell
Slipped her stockings straight
The rope straightened out as the bell was struck
And fluttered to the choir below
The bell rang out and its sound filled the church
And tied herself to the countertenor
The sound of the bell seemed to blend with the countertenor's voice
Leftmost in the frontmost row.
The countertenor was positioned on the far left of the choir in the front row
I saw her path before she even fell
I could predict the sound the bell would make before it rang out
And that is why I stood beneath the bell
I positioned myself directly under the bell to experience its full effect
And from the bottom up,
Starting from the base of the bell up towards the top,
Its details stark and doubted
The intricacies of the bell were clear, yet difficult to believe
Ignite an uproar in stained-glass
The sound of the bell was so strong that it caused the stained-glass windows to vibrate and shake
And sound the trumpets of vanity
The sound of the bell was arrogant and self-important, commanding attention
With knowledge of a monument erased
The sound of the bell reminded me of something that has been lost or forgotten
I'm the woodpecker on the chimney
I am attacking something that is not causing any harm
Digging at the wrong stone
I am wasting my energy and attention on something insignificant
But blithely shaking off an ordinary brown
I am casually throwing off any self-doubt or criticism
Those faded feathers somersaulting low across the road
The small, unimportant things are being disregarded and forgotten
Contributed by Claire T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.