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Devin Townsend Project: Ki
25/05/09 || Euthanatos
Sometimes when I was young and impressionable, something would come on the radio or TV (no Internet back then, folks) and blow me away, either because it was a sound I had never heard before and deeply touched me or because of an individual performance that made me think “fuck me, I want to do that as well!”. One artist that certainly made a mark on my young mind was Devin Townsend, when I first saw him singing “In My Dreams With You” with Steve Vai. Devin has released a lot of things since then, brilliantly coming into his own as a competent producer and mad/genius artist. There was Strapping Young Lad, releases under his own name and a plethora of other monikers, and now the aptly titled Devin Townsend Project.
This album greatly differs from previous work of Devin’s, as is usual, the musician pretty much produces what he’s in the mood for at that particular moment, and this time around the mood was for something a lot softer, ethereal, heavy on the electronics, but with just enough madness and schizophrenia between the lines. It’s fascinating really, how you can feel Devin’s inner monster dwelling underneath the mellow exterior of the songs. It’s like watching an alien quietly surfing inside a human being, just getting ready to pounce and explode the chest.
Listen, for example, to the end of “Gato” and immediately follow up with next track “Terminal”. One ends with brutal, albeit constrained, screaming, while the other is almost heavenly in its peacefulness. And while Devin is certainly capable of doing a multitude of vocals, I wish he’d call upon more guests in his albums, because they could provide a great backdrop to his own work, such as Ché Dorval did on “Heaven Send”, one of the finest moments of the album.
While at first “Ki” took me by surprise, as I wasn’t particularly fond of the direction taken in the previous “Ziltoid” album, I find that once again I am amazed by Devin’s talent and heterogeneity. Not only are his vocals one of the most powerful and memorable in the music scene, his inventiveness is unique and sets him apart from the many others. He has found a niche where fans are willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, and eagerly await his next musical adventure, much like artistis such as Björk, who are as much revered as they are hated for their non-conformity.
I, for one, am glad there are such artists in the world. I’ll happily take albums that I’m not that fond of mixed with works of brilliance if that means I’ll be constantly surprised. It makes the experience of dedicating yourself to listening to music so much more enjoyable, something more than just pressing (or clicking) play.
This is great ambient music, with soft vocals and groovy bass lines, enjoyable electronic tidbits and masterful songwriting.
The cover: Just a symbol, Devin has done a lot better in the past.
8 heavy devins out of 10.
- Information
- Released: 2009
- Label: HevyDevy
- Website: Devin Townsend MySpace
- Band
- Devin Townsend: vocals, guitar, bass, keyboards, samples
- Ché Dorval: vocals
- Jean Savoie: bass guitar
- Dave Young: keyboards
- Duris Maxwell: drums
- Tracklist
- 01. A Monday
- 02. Coast
- 03. Disruptr
- 04. Gato
- 05. Terminal
- 06. Heaven Send
- 07. Ain’t Never Gonna Win…
- 08. Winter
- 09. Trainfire
- 10. Lady Helen
- 11. Ki
- 12. Quiet Riot
- 13. Demon League
