{"id":1915,"date":"2020-11-15T21:55:17","date_gmt":"2020-11-16T03:55:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2021-06-24T16:59:48","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T21:59:48","slug":"eyot-557799","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/postgenre.org\/staging\/4567\/eyot-557799\/","title":{"rendered":"Review: EYOT’s ‘557799’"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

American musicians have been experimenting with Balkan-esque rhythms since at least 1959 when Dave Brubeck brought the 2 + 2 + 2 + 3 pulse back from a folk song he heard in Istanbul and composed Blue Rondo \u00e0 La Turk. Since then, unusual note groupings have become standard fare in jazz, fusion, and art music, and are practically the bread and butter of \u201cprogressive\u201d rock and metal. However, there is a very different type of flow and authenticity to their works when these odd meters form the artists\u2019 mother tongue. EYOT\u2019s 557799 <\/em>(Ropeadope, 2020) is a perfect example. Though the seven pieces making up the release are a veritable smorgasbord of rhythmic creativity, the masterfulness with which Ilijic, Stojiljkovic, Milenovic, and Vojvodic handle time ensures that the record\u2019s melancholic yet hopeful atmosphere and enticing melodies never take a backseat to the complex rhythmic structures which evoke the turbulence of the Balkan region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The record <\/em>opens with \u201cDodola,\u201d an unforgettable nine-minute ride that wonderfully sets the record\u2019s vaguely lugubrious tone. Atmospheric guitar chord swells usher in a 12\/8 groove, which even the most novice listener can tap their foot to, along with a very hummable melody. The main theme develops over the first few minutes of the track, with some incredibly scenic detours, until horns enter at the well-earned climax after an exciting piano solo breakdown. The clouds part and the last few minutes of the piece are absolutely joyous, leading directly into the moody \u201cLinen,\u201d which borrows harmonies from Serbian composer Stevan Mokranjac\u2019s 1901 composition, \u201cBiljana platnobele\u0161e.\u201d Here, EYOT flexes its rhythmic chops, weaving an elaborate texture of complex syncopation atop a 4\/4 groove, glued together by a guitar ostinato that keeps reappearing, as if obscured behind trees. Halfway through, everything momentarily stops, and Ilijic explores the harmonies as the band holds down some post-rock-esque chord strikes, again obscuring the deceptively simple rhythmic underbelly of the tune. <\/p>\n\n\n