King Krule – “Half Man Half Shark”
Archy Marshall — aka King Krule — came through town and rocked Dallas’ pants off last week at the Granada. Yours truly was in attendance and I would 10/10 see them again. I’ve been following Archy’s musical output since 2011 when he was recording under the name Zoo Kid. I was blown away by the mix of punk-jazz & Darkwave blended with his distinct voice found on his debut EP as KK. His sophomore album — The Ooz, released October 2017 — hits a bit harder than his early EPs. He has expanded a bit musically by diversifying the sounds used, and I found this latest album to be a bit more driving and forceful than his first. To be fair, I want to see something new from an artist from album to album. Regardless, I am a fan of his unique voice, thoughtful lyrics and commitment to a unique sound.
The video this week is for “Half Man Half Shark.” Rather than utilize the most common video tropes of a weak plot, this video feels more like a mix between an NYC skate video circa 1999, analog visual art and low-fi concert footage. Those elements combined have a similar visual vibe to the combo of odd styles in his music. I enjoy the weird (seemingly) hand-animated visuals over the footage, too. It reminds me of hanging out at weird New York City loft art parties of my youth — complete even with blurry footage from rooftops peering down on a sleeping city. Nothing like a trip down memory lane, I suppose.
Look, is King Krule for everybody? No, but my job is to stretch your musical horizons. Knowing what you don’t like is almost as important as knowing what you do like.
Anyway, try it on for size.
<3 dave.
