Kazyak - Odyssey (2019)

Kazyak is back with the Odyssey LP, the band’s third release in 3 years, following the Happy Camping EP (2017) and the Reflection LP (2018). On the surface, Odyssey is extremely satisfying indie rock ear candy. Dig a little deeper and find intricate connections between lyrical, visual and aural elements. From guitarist/songwriter Peter Frey’s perspective, the album is “more rugged, forward-looking and psychedelic than our past releases. It’s the first record we’ve recorded live, and is channeling inspiration from Patagonia and themes from Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth. It’s a big step forward for us, and is a journey into the unknown.”

Kazyak is no stranger to taking chances with sound. Odyssey is proof of Kazyak maturing together and actively expanding their sound. The songwriting is on the same level as past releases, but the focus here is that they turned up the psychedelic knob several notches - wetter vocals, an orchestrated Prophet V and Juno 106 synth-combo, and heroic guitar hooks, held together by solid drums and bass. As the band was generating new material for the album, synth player Pat Hayes brought a TalkGirl to rehearsal, just as Frey stumbled upon his dad’s old tapes of Joseph Campbell’s The Power of Myth. The themes align uncannily and the tapes have become an essential part of the performances. Whereas past recordings have been primarily single-tracked, the band recorded Odyssey live in a four-day studio session.

Odyssey is Kazyak’s most original work yet. The album was inspired by a backpacking trip Frey and his wife took to Patagonia, and attempts to capture the desire to explore and to take the listener to the edge of discovery. The photography and video footage is primarily from Torres del Paine National Park, displaying massifs, glacial lakes, and end-of-the-world rock formations that formed over eons and make any onlooker feel small and insignificant. Whereas last year’s Reflection release had more to do with tying up loose ends, the songs on Odyssey are pioneering, fresh creations.

Odyssey kicks off with Contravertical, an exploration of the unknown parts of the universe and the idea that we’re all part of one large chain reaction. The lyrics cite the Mariana Trench and the far reaches of outer space, and the track leverages tape audio from Joseph Campbell’s A Power of Myth. Second is Discover, which acknowledges the string of discoveries we’ve had to make to get to our current understanding of the universe (They found out atoms are basically nothing / And we’re made of essentially atoms) and about us discovering other life in the universe just as they discover us (As we discover them / They’ll be discovering us). Track three, dubbed Paper Bird, is about becoming more than you are (He dreams of being tenfold or a thousand fold / Like a paper airplane bent into a paper bird). Camouflage carries us one step further and is a stoner anthem about trying to blend in (Things are moving really fast / It’s all part of the plan / I said I’d kick the habit but I just kick the can).

The b-side opens with Zombie Dream, a slow-core, zombie apocalypse dreamscape whose chorus cops the opening lines from Bob Dylan’s Mama You’ve Been on My Mind. Smoke Jumper offers a floaty, high-powered jam where listeners will feel swept off the ground by a strong breeze (Feel the force of the lift / The direction and drift). Seventh is Rocket, a simple, textured chorus about duality: ebb and flow, up and down, rise and fall. The album closes with Be the Sun, the darker, synth-driven outtake to Paper Bird (I have been staring at the sun long enough / I’m ready to be the sun).