Thee.Voice.of.A.King.
When last have you heard something you truly feel you have never heard before? Something actually new? Something so new you weren’t even sure if you liked it? But you felt it more than you liked it. It moved you past what you even thought your taste was. It challenged you to hate it but all you wanted was to hear more of it. Enter the world of the 19 year old singer songwriter and guitarist Archy Marshall aka King Krule from the UK. He kinda looks like if one of the interestingly scrawny kids from Gumo survived and moved to England and became one of thee characters from “This Is England” and just picked up a guitar and sang what he felt. Once known as Zoo Kid and Edgar The Beatmaker no matter what persona you choose to tune into he brings a new voice to todays overly autotuned soundscape. He simply brings HIS voice.
Thee first song I came face to face with was “Easy , Easy”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRzlbh4or3c&w=640&h=360]
See? Different right?
The The lyrics which stood out most and tapped my ears on the shoulder were
”
When positivity seems hard to reach
I keep my head down and my mouth shut
Cause if you going through hell
We just keep going … . .
”
It felt like a raw feeling that I really had no business judging. After that song I felt the need to find more and just about everything this kid has done. As I went deeper into his digital catalogue I found myself meandering somewhere between blues, folk, soul, ambient, and darkwave. Your ears are left without a compass but you soon arrive at a new destination.
Our next stop is the rebelliously real “Octopus” which feels like it’s straight out of David Lynch film.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jtqCINuWPE8&w=640&h=360]
This song has so much space and texture it soon builds into a live dub infused drum and bass jam that you just end up gliding through effortlessly. This song feels like nothing I have heard since maybe Portishead. With a video that is just as sleek to match.
On we go to my personal favorite “Out Getting Ribs” which is a beautifully sincere love song. Each word feels like a new hue of blue painted on midnight canvas. That can really only be felt if you’ve been through rejection. But it’s beautiful, watch below.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMk7W7SRStw&w=640&h=360]
There is a certain emotion captured in the live performance of the song. Half the time you really can’t even believe this voice is coming out of his body. It’s weirdly awesome. He knows his voice and he allows it’s recklessness and embraces it’s every fluctuation.
The dark brightness present on “Rock Bottom” is a mood that seems to lure you in with it’s calm bright chords that suddenly picks up right at the chorus and never let look back!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hvZJI8rerWA&w=640&h=360]
Maybe I’m a weirdo but sad music makes me happy! King Krule is an acquired taste that once your palette is ready for something new you might buffet his every song. At the ripe age of 19 he has written some very reflective music that feels beyond his years. There is a quality of fearlessness to it all and I only hope he remains untainted and untamed.
Our flaws are our fingerprints, no matter what you think of his voice you will have to listen to it again, again and again and in between one of those agains you will feel something. Although I will warn you that you might need subtitles to understand the some of the words I will remind you that most feelings don’t need words to be felt. If you are in search of something different and makes you feel distant from the norms meet the Kid that became a King!
6 Beneath The Moon is available now on iTunes
-∂eƒ
