About
Eyvind Kang is a tough nut to crack. One day he might be unleashing shrieking jazz/rock noise with his Painkiller-meets-1970s Miles Davis trio Dying Ground, then the next he's studying with an Indian violinist or working on a Django Reinhardt tribute. His main instrument is the violin, but he's also doubled on tuba (with guitarist Bill Frisell's folksy chamber jazz quartet) and electric guitar (with the Middle Eastern Surf/Metal band Secret Chiefs 3). His own albums are similarly diverse and puzzling. 7 NADEs is a beautifully arranged and recorded studio collage that weaves together passages of melodious '60s soundtrack-inspired music, disturbing Musique Concrete and sadistic violin noise, often using quick-change techniques reminiscent of John Zorn yet evoking a dark, mysterious air of its own. Its follow-up, theatre of mineral NADEs, is much less jarring, voyaging through Asian, Indian and Medieval territories via a series of brief, primarily instrumental songs. Remaining efforts -- The Story of Iceland, Sweetness of Sickness -- are equally distinct and twisted, offering further pieces in the yet-to-be-solved puzzle of exactly what this Eyvind Kang character is really up to.
- Will York
- Portions of Album Content Provided by All Music Guide © 2009 All Media Guide, LLC.