Artist Profile

Knifeworld

Label: Believer’s Roast
Agent: Mark Lewis

Buried Alone: Tales Of Crushing Defeat is a sprawling and unique psychedelic tour de force from Kavus Torabi (Cardiacs/Guapo/The Monsoon Bassoon) under the
moniker, Knifeworld.

This eleven song trip fuses elements of pop, heavy rock, folk and prog into a delirious and distinctive whole. Like collision between Black Sabbath and Syd Barrett or XTC and Slint, Buried Alone is unlike anything else you will hear this year.

Un-compromised and relentless, Knifeworld is not 'genre tourism'. Despite the diverse nature of the material, Torabi's compositions stay clear of pastiche and imitation rendering Buried Alone a cohesive work, layered with unusual arrangements and unpredictable twists, all hidden behind catchy hooks, layers of dense, poly-rhythmic instrumentation and soaring vocal harmonies colliding with dissonant “rock-out” riffs.

Kavus Torabi is a composer/guitarist/singer and producer working in the further reaches of rock, experimental, noise and folk music. He came to cult prominence in the late nineties with his band, The Monsoon Bassoon, a London based experimental psychedelic mathrock/pop band. The Monsoon Bassoon were one of the only bands ever to receive three Singles Of The week in a row in the NME. Their self released album I Dig Your Voodoo garnered much critical praise including, bizarrely, a glowing review in Heat magazine.

After he split the group in 2001, Torabi went on to join legendary UK group Cardiacs as guitarist and collaborator. He also plays guitar in UK avant-progressive outfit Guapo. Since then he has managed to find time to play guitar in Chrome Hoof, tour as a multi-instrumentalist with The Mediaeval Babes and contribute vocals to albums by the North Sea Radio Orchestra.

Knifeworld’s Buried Alone heralds Torabi’s return as primary songwriter and front man, backed by some of London’s finest musicians including Khyam Allami on drums, Melanie Woods (Sidi Bou Said) on vocals, Ben Jacobs (Max Tundra) on trumpet and Sarah Measures (The Monsoon Bassoon) on horns, while Torabi handles guitars, singing and an assortment of curious instruments. Believer’s Roast is his label and its releases are distributed by Genepool.

The single Pissed Up On Brake Fluid was released July 13, 2009 as a 7" single (BRR001V) and download. The album Buried Alone: Tales Of Crushing Defeat will be released on August 10th as a gatefold sleeve, 180 gram vinyl LP (BRR002V), gatefold sleeve CD (BRR002) and download. Copies of the LP will contain a code to download the album for free.

Knifeworld will be performing live upon the release of the album.