|
''Ki'' ( ) is the eleventh studio album by Canadian musician Devin Townsend, and the first of six albums in the Devin Townsend Project series. The album was released on May 25, 2009, on Townsend's independent record label HevyDevy Records. Townsend, the founder, songwriter, and frontman of extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and progressive metal group The Devin Townsend Band, dissolved both bands in 2006 to spend time with his family and avoid the burnout of touring and interviewing. After a period of self-discovery and a year-long break from songwriting, Townsend began work on a four-album series to clarify his identity as a musician. ''Ki'' includes themes of self-control and sobriety, and is musically subtler than much of the artist's previous work, consisting of ambient rock music interlaced with tentative bursts of heavy metal. The album was written, produced, mixed, and co-engineered by Townsend, who also performed guitar and vocals. Townsend assembled a supporting group of Vancouver musicians including blues drummer Duris Maxwell, rock bassist Jean Savoie, keyboardist Dave Young, and guest vocalist Ché Aimee Dorval to play on the album. While some critics found the album uneven, ''Ki'' received generally positive reviews for its unexpected musical direction, along with its production, vocal dynamics, and mix of influences. ==Background== After disbanding his extreme metal band Strapping Young Lad and his progressive metal project The Devin Townsend Band in 2006, Townsend shaved off his trademark "skullet" hairstyle〔〔 and gave up alcohol and marijuana.〔 Townsend found it "disconcerting" that he had difficulty writing music without drugs, and that he had trouble identifying his purpose as a musician. He spent a year producing albums in absence of writing, but found it unrewarding and decided to "pick up the guitar and just write."〔 This began a period of self-discovery where he learned "how to create without drugs". Over two years, Townsend wrote over 60 songs, and found that they fit into "four distinct styles".〔 In March 2009, Townsend announced his plans for a four-album series called the Devin Townsend Project,〔 with the goal of clarifying his musical identity and being "accountable" for the persona he projects to the public.〔 ''Ki'', the first album of the Devin Townsend Project, is written to "set the stage" for the subsequent albums.〔 The word "''ki''" represents the Japanese concept of "life force" (氣, "ki").〔 Townsend chose the name as an homage to the 1981 Kitarō album of the same name, which he "loved as a kid". The project's concept includes a different group of musicians for each album. For ''Ki'', Townsend chose a group of musicians with whom he had not previously worked. He discovered Duris Maxwell, a blues drummer who has played with such acts as Heart, Jefferson Airplane, and Tommy Chong,〔 in a blues club in northern Canada.〔 Townsend was impressed by his energy and recruited him for ''Ki''.〔 Townsend also chose Jean Savoie, a music store employee who plays in a Beatles cover band, to play bass on the album. Maxwell and Savoie were ideal for the album, Townsend explained, because they had little experience playing heavy music, and had a fresh perspective that fit with ''Kis subtler sound.〔 Townsend also brought back Dave Young, an ambient keyboardist who had played in The Devin Townsend Band,〔 and recruited Vancouver artist Ché Aimee Dorval as a vocalist on several tracks. The album was primarily recorded, produced, and mixed from late 2008 to early 2009 at and Studio D; the drums were recorded at Factory Studios in Vancouver. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Ki (Devin Townsend Project album)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|