Having been writing reviews for a number of years, at times I find myself on virtual auto pilot when summing things up and feel I could do so with eyes shut and ears only half open. This I hasten is not an album that such principles can work with and although I profess to loving a challenge and getting stuck into something different from the norm Kkoagulaa have if anything come at me as a divine trial. This is so far from the norm that it virtually beggars belief and this is summed up in the pages of information that accompanied the download. The project is designed to “stretch out beyond genre conventions” and their mission is “to work in an expanded range of media and to even step outside of conventions of what constitutes avant-garde art and music” Alchemy is mentioned as the core behind both artist and work and the way they have turned their music into gold is a fascinating journey to undertake. As far as more background is concerned you can check out the detailed information at the band links below.
On the whole the kkolective as they refer to themselves of Kkoagulaa is made up from personnel from the seemingly on hold Norwegian project Manes. This could, if you have heard them before, partly explain what you might be able to expect from the band although I hasten to add, this pushes the limits and boundaries of anything I have heard from that already bizarre and out there band. Members have also served time in the likes of Atrox, The 3rd And The Mortal as well as other lesser known entities and have brought a melting pot of ideas to this debut album by Kkoagulaa.
It is presented as one long 56 minute track and before playing you are best off making sure that you are not likely to be distracted and have time and perhaps even energy to give it your complete and undivided attention. It is also probably going to work on you even better if you really shut yourself away from the outside world with headphones as well.
So to the music itself, you are going to want to know how it sounds and what it is like as that is partly my job but this is not an easy thing to do in the slightest? From the opening clanging intro and backward masked melody you can forget about trying to put this in any category, certainly calling it any form of ‘metal’ per se is impossible just as the group intended. This is an exercise in sound, and how it is perhaps perceived. The only groups I could possibly say as having heard anything similar to are Ulver at their most experimental and this does perhaps sit alongside the likes of ‘Perdition City’ as it mixes and matches different sonic expressions to a musical canvas. There are also times I am reminded of The Orb as things bubble and boil below the surface and mess with your head. There are many different snatches that you hear on the journey, there are moments of drum and bass and jungle and dub thrown in, perhaps a snatch of freeform jazz, trance, post rock, electro and black doom. The vocals at full croon are very Bowiesque and also at times remind of Marc Almond and Pete Murphy as they expressively flow around the ever changing music.
There is plenty going on and I have listened to this album lots of times in an attempt to review it and feel like I have to abandon my normal methods of pressing play and describing what is going on as I listen, as what I actually want to do oh reader is turn YOU off for once and listen to the music without your clamour for information. In fact that is what I am going to do and feel free to call this a cop out or even better go and indulge yourself in the weird, wonderful and at times frightening world of Kkoagulaa and attempt to tell me what YOU think! For once I’m all ears.
http://www.myspace.com/kkoagulaa
http://kkoagulaa.wordpress.com
