Album Review: Bring Me the Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn by Kyle Bobby Dunn

Kyle Bobby Dunn's steady stream of releases exploring ambient and drone composition continues on 2012's Bring Me the Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn -- though it must be said that it's a little hard to imagine him soundtracking anything Sam Peckinpah ever did. "Canticle of Votier's Flats" begins the album on an expected note of slow, ambient calm, increasing in volume with a central melody leading the way, understatedly providing an initial brief hook. But "La Chanson de Beurrage" is where everything fully kicks in, a quarter-hour piece balancing off a seeming simplicity -- a circular, minimal melodic progression -- with an engrossing warmth and focus that compare to Stars of the Lid at their most involving, but with a particular vision that is all Dunn's own.

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Drone of the sort Kyle Bobby Dunn specializes in does not aim to reward particularly close listening. Rather, it takes up residence in the environment in which it is played, becoming as natural and accepted as the colour of the paint on the walls, the smell of the air or the sound of human life outside your window. For two hours or so, Bring Me the Head Of...

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Welcome to an environment of the most private kind. Welcome to a space wherein lies a gathering of individual recollections bearing radiant attention to detail, where snapshots and reflections of personal experiences are relived and pondered across two discs of celestially supine material. Although this dreamy expanse may appear secretive and shrouded with an opaque complex that skews any glaring intent, it remains humble and inviting.

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Kyle Bobby DunnBring Me The Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn[Low Point; 2012]By Ray Finlayson; June 29, 2012Purchase at: Insound (Vinyl) | Amazon (MP3 & CD) | iTunes | MOGTweetBring Me The Head of Kyle Bobby Dunn by Kyle Bobby DunnThe patience of someone who regularly listens to ambient music has undoubtedly got to be larger than that of even your usual indie music fan. The latter of those might crease their foreheads when they hear one of their favourite bands has included a fifteen minute drone track on their new album, but given a little time, and the full context of the album, they’ll likely welcome it into their hearts eventually. Offer them two hours of the stuff, though, and they’ll wince further if not turn their heels around and walk away in search of a download link for Grizzly Bear’s new album.

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With ambient music it's often hard to explain why a certain work is successful whereas another seemingly similar release isn't, but it's always obvious to the listener who has mastery over the form, and Canadian expat Kyle Bobby Dunn is among them. Dunn composes a cold, isolating brand of ambience that carries ample pathos, straddling the line between positivity and melancholia. Having released at least one album per year over the past five years, as well as contributing to such noteworthy compilations as Ghostly International's SMM: Context and Moodgadget's Expanse At Low Levels, the tracks on this latest double album are compiled from several years of recordings, put together for UK label Low Point.

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