Eyvind Kang — Live Low To The Earth, In The Iron Age

An American of Icelandic/Korean heritage seems to be bound to make exotic music. Besides working with a variety of musicians like Trey Spruance (Mr. Bungle, Secret Chiefs 3), Bill Frisell and Laurie Anderson he continued to make solo-efforts.

These were sometimes strange and puzzling (his debut 7 NADEs and followup Sweetness Of Sickness), at other times beautiful, exotic and entertaining (The Theater Of Mineral NADEs). On the other hand it could be dark, disturbing and aggressive like his free-improv hardcore outfit Dying Ground. On his 5th album he seems to combine the improvisation of that project with the atmosphere of the previous album: The Story Of Iceland.

During four long tracks in about an hour the music evolves from the opening drones of Heads On Red Lakes Return into various improvisations, themes and textures. The first tracks slowly evolves into the texture of BINAH where a guitartheme gradually grows into a pulse and a flute enters. The pulse and flute make way for a violin which reminds me of Tuvan music a bit. The next track, Highlands seems to be one a quiet version of Dying Ground. Drums, bass and guitar loosely follow each other in some psychedelic jam. The album concludes with the titletrack returning to keyboard textures and more ambient strummings on guitar with a few eruptions and a trippy leadguitar. Overall the music drifts from psychedelic improvisation to atmospheric and minimal soundscapes.

The credits state that the album is performed by Eyvind Kang & The Neti-Neti Band, I’m under the suspicion Kang is the Neti-Neti Band, although that of course is not really important... just a hunch.

The atmospheric and psychedelic nature of this disc might appeal to fans of GY!BE, Acid Mothers Temple and maybe even Sigur Rós. The Story Of Iceland made a bigger impression on me and was more unique I think. The next album will be a live-recording called Virginal Co-ordinates, but that was slated for a September release which as far as I know didn’t happen.