Search - Eyvind Kang, Walter Zanetti, playground :: Eyvind Kang: Virginal Coordinates

True Beauty

Focke Wulf | Kamen, Germany | 05/13/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I promised myself never to write anything like this and if, then to keep the pathos out.
But I can't help myself.
Being a fan of Patton's work for several years, I bumped into this record rather by accident than by being a fan of Eyvind Kang.BUT THIS IS IT. MY TRUE AND ONLY DESERT ISLAND RECORD.Talking pathos, here we go.
If there is a god, he sounds like this.
If there is any way to hear love: Here it is.
This record takes you on a long journey to places you never dreamed they would exist.The way Classical Music meets elements of Drum and Bass, Vocals
and especially sporadically but never the less brilliantly used features of Sound FX technology is probably unique and definately outstanding.But you have to take your time. 73 minutes, a few glasses of wine
and preferably a pair of headphones and this music will make you as happy as you can be. Because you know:
A world that produces such music is worth living in.At least for 73 minutes."

What if . . .

Jan P. Dennis | Monument, CO USA | 05/10/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What if the entire history of Western Christian mysticism, William Blake, plainsong, Tantum Ergo, polyphony, Renaissance dance, Baroque, German Romanticism, Gamelan, South Indian classical, Japanese folk song, Icelandic chill-out, Olivier Messiaen, Alva Noto, microtonalism, Samuel Barber, Daniel Lanois without the cheese, Native American, Appalachian, Scottish folk, North African Berber, Nu-pop, ambient drone, Minimalism, Industrial, beat poetry, cosmic consciousness, post-rock, Toronto Indie Apocalypse, Van Dyke Parks, chamber jazz, Richard Strauss, Gustav Mahler, Gustav Holst, The Beach Boys, Sun Ra, Eric Satie, Heitor Villa Lobos, Phillip Glass, and New Music sensibilities were all to be assimilated, processed, deconstructed, and retrieved in one enormous, death-defyingly gorgeous, show-stoppingly virtuosic yet eminently listenable and instantly accessible disc? That's a pitiful attempt to capture in words what is going on in this absolutely astounding album, certainly a landmark, a watershed in the history of recorded music.



Just the shear scope of the soundscape boggles the mind. A basic six-piece unit (Michael White, violin; Mike Patton, voice, electronics; Tim Young, electric guitar; Tucker Martine, live sound processing; Evan Schiller sound movements; and Evyind Kang, violin and composer) is augmented by a sixteen-piece orchestra featuring woodwinds, brass, strings, acoustic and electric guitar, keyboards, accordion, percussion, and drums. Kang has written some absolutely mesmeric compositions featuring all of the styles noted in the first paragraph, which are then arranged and played in a most compelling and beguiling manner. Certainly the inclusion of such noted sound manipulators as Patton, Schiller, and Martine contribute greatly to the sweep and grandeur of the musical palette. But perhaps the most salient fact about this disc is that it is a live recording, albeit, thankfully, with none of the annoying audience interruptions that all too frequently accompany such undertakings.



The centerpiece is the 19:23 "Doorway to the Sun," which must be heard to be believed (or vice versa). Here composer Kang pulls out all the stops, creating a map of the musical universe that encompasses the farthest reaches of Ultima Thule, maelstroms, blasted heaths, ocean bottoms, planetary cycles, black holes, desert sunsets, double helixes, equinoxal precessions, 80-foot Cortez Reef, Uluru, Rapa Nui, Chichen Itza, and all points in between. The chantlike vocals coming in at about 10:20, courtesy of the inimitable Mike Patton, largely unintelligible, yet strangely understandable, s(h)immer with repeated words/phrases like "seven, seven, seven key [____]" "interplanetary [____]" "astral intelligence gave them," "liberation receive them," "heavenly firmament kiss it," "multiplicity dissolvent" "spirit of the innocents save them"--or similar utterances. And even though they make no rational sense, they resonate with the deepest racial memories and human sentiments summed up by the world's greatest myths and religious stories. Sound like New Age blather? Maybe, but I don't think so.



The rest is nearly as remarkable, if not quite as ambitious and far reaching. I am especially taken with the title cut, impossible dense yet unfolding with crystal clarity, sonically startling with its ominous percussive underpinnings, white noise wash, and massive brass assault yet featuring the most remarkable sound imaging where even single string instruments and belllike nuances ring out from the speakers. Indeed, from a production standpoint alone, this disc deserves highest praises. Other favorites include "Sidi Bou Said," with its faux East Indian textures, oriental oboe, and spot-on ensemble voicings, and "Innocent Eye, Crystal See," a simple melodic statement that just keeps unfolding with a magical assortment of string, percussive, and wind voicings until it becomes, finally, an incredibly rich sound tapestry. Not surprisingly, my favorite numbers are the three longest, where Kang and the players get to display the full monty of their instrumental and vocal glory.



Eyvind Kang, someone always worth listening to, has here produced not only his masterpiece, but in my humble opinion, the greatest disc of the young millennium, music that sets the bar so impossibly high that I don't see it being topped anytime soon."

Eyvind kang creation

Christopher McCann | another world | 08/13/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"To be honest I havn't given this one enough of a listen, as I didn't realy get the urge to play it repeatedly. I don't want to put it down as I believe this guys creations are all musicaly exceptional, but unfortunately this album just didn't excite me as much as some other stuff I have heard! There is probably a whole heap of Eyvind Kang fans out there just cursing at me for this review !! don't let me put you off though, give it a listen. I know that I couldn't create anything even half as good as this album, I might be too critical from hearing too mutch great music....P.S. I have seen this guy play live and he left me praising his performance as I picked my jaw up off the ground!"