King Krule is a kid. - Oh My Rockness

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King Krule is a kid.

January 2, 2012
King Krule is the moniker of a 17-year-old British kid named Archy Marshall (he totally looks like an Archy, doesn't he?). So the research tells me he's 17, anyway. But allow me to call bullshit on research, because there is no way this dude is a teenager. With a voice as deep and drawling and world weary as this, I wouldn't believe you if you told me he was 37 (ok, maybe 37... but definitely not 27... I draw the LINE at 27).

But let's just pretend the facts are correct for a minute so we can all marvel at how a kid not much older than the pair of shoes I'm wearing can sound like this. He apparently has the weight of the world on his shoulders as he sings about stuff like the loss of pride, the loss of faith, the loss of... well, this guy just seems lost. I believe this is called "disillusionment." Disillusionment foreva!!!

These are slow and strange (mostly) synth + beats songs that are good to chill out to if you're feeling casually depressed. There's a mixture of dawdling electro and dub and even a dash of jazz. It's hard to decipher exactly what's going on here. But it makes me feel like I'm swimming in Lake Codeine. A raging dance party jam master, this guy is not.

His debut EP is coming out on the exceptional True Panther record label. That's going to be a big one I bet, because people are going to like King Krule. Why? People will like this because people like honest music, created by a 17 year old or not. Whatever this guy is, he certainly doesn't appear to be a phony. So cheers to you, Archy Marshall. I'll buy you a beer in 4 years.

King Krule- Portrait In Black and Blue by truepanther

King Krule plays Mercury Lounge, on Wednesday, January 11th, at Glasslands, on Friday, January 13th, and opening for Girls + Real Estate at Terminal 5, on Saturday, January 14th.

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