Archy Marshall, a.k.a., King Krule announced his return to music after three years of absence with the short film Hey World! After releasing a few singles, his third album under the King Krule moniker Man Alive! released on February 21 and it’s trippy in the best way possible.
This is Krule’s most experimental album, jumping from borderline electronic music like “Cellular”, to punk rock like “Stoned Again”, to jazz like “Underclass”, and to what I can only describe as the void. Man Alive! also seems to be his most upbeat album after the slow jazz-rock LP 6 Feet Beneath the Moon and the extremely slow-paced, vibey The OOZ. While not a complete departure from the jazz sound he has cultivated in his now seven year career as King Krule, Marshall does play around with a lot more sound.
A perfect example would be “Cellular”, the album’s first song that seems to have some electronic influence over it. It sets up the tone of the album really well. It’s not like any other Krule album we’ve heard before, it’s something new and more fast-paced than other albums, while still being slow and melodic.
I should also mention Marshall’s voice has consistently remained, for lack of a better term, badass. He has that voice that can make anything sound rough. You know you’ve got it when you can sing, “On my tenth birthday, got a puppy,” and still have it sound like you have so much bravado.
And this rough, baritone voice is complemented by the chaotic production. It’s full of these sounds that when combined together, makes something I’ve never heard before. Man Alive! is something where I knew what to expect, but I still manage to feel surprised by the end of it.
It’s one of the most satisfying listens I’ve had in a long time. Overall, it’s Marshall’s craziest project and I feel like it’s a 9/10.
This is Krule’s most experimental album, jumping from borderline electronic music like “Cellular”, to punk rock like “Stoned Again”, to jazz like “Underclass”, and to what I can only describe as the void. Man Alive! also seems to be his most upbeat album after the slow jazz-rock LP 6 Feet Beneath the Moon and the extremely slow-paced, vibey The OOZ. While not a complete departure from the jazz sound he has cultivated in his now seven year career as King Krule, Marshall does play around with a lot more sound.
A perfect example would be “Cellular”, the album’s first song that seems to have some electronic influence over it. It sets up the tone of the album really well. It’s not like any other Krule album we’ve heard before, it’s something new and more fast-paced than other albums, while still being slow and melodic.
I should also mention Marshall’s voice has consistently remained, for lack of a better term, badass. He has that voice that can make anything sound rough. You know you’ve got it when you can sing, “On my tenth birthday, got a puppy,” and still have it sound like you have so much bravado.
And this rough, baritone voice is complemented by the chaotic production. It’s full of these sounds that when combined together, makes something I’ve never heard before. Man Alive! is something where I knew what to expect, but I still manage to feel surprised by the end of it.
It’s one of the most satisfying listens I’ve had in a long time. Overall, it’s Marshall’s craziest project and I feel like it’s a 9/10.