Well, this is going to be a bit more difficult – due to Biomech by his project Ocean Machine as well as Terria and Accelerated Evolution being some of my all-time faves it’s very difficult for me to approach Ki, the new album by DEVIN TOWNSEND, in a neutral and open-minded way. So my expectations reagarding Ki are frankly speaking more than high.
What makes it even more difficult is the fact that Ki is the first in a series of four albums under the name DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT which have to be seen together as a major concept. So the question is if each album, Ki in this case, can stand on and knows how to convince with its own musical direction. So – full with anticipation and trembling fingers I hit the play button and start listening.

The smoothness of the opening track Monday shows some vague reference to sounds which could be heard on Terria in some way. So far, so (quite) great. The following Coast is driven by smooth, sometimes whistling vocals and, even if it sounds strange, some calm playfulness, evoking pictures of a lonely highway ride with big city lights somewhere in the distance. Disruptr then comes along in a dry, earthy way, sounding tricky and heavy without being that in the classical way of heaviness. Again and again the song rises up to some level but the expected eruption doesn’t takes place to a full amount and remains merely suggested. After that Gato is played in a more jazzy way and takes the mentioned playfulness a step further while Terminal once again brings us some more quiet and smooth sounds but combining these in a complexity which always demands a high amount of concentration.
Heaven Send has a nearly normal - if one can speak of normal regarding Devin – beginning but will confuse the listener by its strangely high vocals and completes the confusion by pushing the tension higher and higher but leaving out an eruption just to collapse in swift, tricky parts again. Strange – veeeery strange. With its lightness Trainfire leaves some room for hoping for a form of catchiness but with a Rockabilly like jazzy instrumentation puts a big question mark above my head. Which will remain there fort he further songs on Ki.
This question mark is present for all following turns of Ki in my player. The atmosphere on Ki is very hard to describe. It is highly creative and playful to the last single note, leaves no room for a certain classification and definitely doesn’t make it easy for the listener. With Kis quiet basic atmosphere and a jazzy-bluesy “laid-back” feel one is tempted to speak of Easy Listening. But the uncommon song structures and the play with music itself is anything but easy and demands full concentration to get what Ki is about.
And exactly with getting it I personally have some problems. I guess I know that there is something really great in my CD player but I just don’t get it completely. And despite of knowing that Ki will take a lot time to grow I’m sceptic if I ever will get some kind of “Oh – That’s it!” moment.
I honour diversity and experimentations but I somehow feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of creativity found on Ki. That might be because it’s an album from Devin to Devin (by using and growing on the talent of his top-notch guest musicians) more than any album before. That’s right, that’s ok and good but it just makes it impossible for me to give a rating in a classic way. Before even hearing Ki I already knew that my wish for an album filled with songs in the vein of Night, Material, Traveller, The Fluke etc. was far from reality. So I’m not disappointed by Ki but enthusiasm is not the first word coming to my mind when speaking about this album. Respect and acknowledgement come more close to it.
Nevertheless the last few words had some negative touch which is not to be really understand in that way, I’m very excited about what the next three albums by the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT will have to offer and if Ki will fit into that concept and suddenly will shine in a completely other light. Difficult, yet exciting…