“Theme for the Cross” borders on ambient music, while “Underclass,” and “Energy Fleets,” in their mellow nature, are among Marshall’s best work to date. Rather than return to the chaotic elements of the first four tracks, the remaining songs work off of the moodier precedent set by “The Dream.” A sample of Nilüfer Yanya’s “Small Crimes” connects sibling tracks “Airport Antenatal Airport,” and “(Don’t Let the Dragon) Draag On” - the latter containing a lyrical callback to “Bathed in Grey,” the closing track on 6FBTM. It’s this type of performance that made people fall in love with Marshall in the first place, and it’s presence on Man Alive! is much appreciated. On the perfectly placed interlude, “The Dream,” we hear Marshall sing sweetly over a clean, almost hypnotic guitar part. On “Comet Face,” - the final punk sounding track on the record - we find Marshall interpolating Lowell Fulson’s “Tramp” instrumental and seemingly singing about the negative effects of heavy drug use.Īnd then, a cool down. “Stoned Again” – with its killer overdriven bass part, compressed drums, and absolutely tormented vocal growls - is an instant classic in Marshall’s songbook. On the album’s first major highlight, “Stoned Again,” he contemplates his own innocence while reflecting upon recent (and frequent) visits the park he used to take his puppy to as a kid - knowing damn well that, as an adult, he’s only going there to get high. Lyrically, whatever Marshall is attempting to convey on “Supermaché” is a bit too cryptic to decipher, but the raw emotion in his voice when he shouts “we have to rise above,” is enough to sell the song. On “Cellular,” the album’s opener, Marshall takes in multiple forms of media in attempt distract himself from dwelling on a failed relationship, but everything seems to remind him of his ex, and so he calls her. But don’t let that fool you: what Marshall is trying to convey across the album’s 14 stellar tracks is just as deep, lonely, and isolated as his previous works, maybe even more so.
Man Alive!, in contrast to The OOZ, is a much slimmer record - both in actual length and in overall concept. On Man Alive!, he builds off of the most enjoyable elements of his prior records: the previously mentioned debut 2015’s hip-hop inspired, sampler driven A New Place 2 Drown (released as Archy Marshall) and 2017’s The OOZ, his 66-minute King Krule magnum opus - a record that elevated Marshall to new levels of acclaim and popularity. The lyrics were cringeworthy at the time and they clearly haven’t aged well but Marshall, now 25, most definitely has - both as a songwriter and as a human. Those who have been following the Central London artist’s work over the last (almost) decade might notice a familiarity: the last time we heard this same telephone ring was on the intro to “A Lizard State,” the hyper centerpiece of his 2013 debut 6 Feet Beneath the Moon - a song where he made no attempt at hiding the immaturity-fed misogyny of his 18-year-old self (“you’re a bunch of fat bitches / you motherfucking fat bitches!”). Another lonely night becomes you’re not alone.
And although his songs often come from a dark place, glints of passion and love can also be found in King Krule’s beautiful murk.About mid-way through Man Alive! - Archy Marshall’s third studio LP as King Krule - a telephone rings the mood changes. Since then, Marshall has continued to develop as a poet and as a producer, perfecting a mercurial blend of jazz, trip-hop and post-punk on 2017’s The OOZ and confronting themes of violence and fatherhood on 2020’s Man Alive!. After signing to XL Recordings and True Panther Sounds, he exuded confidence on his 2013 debut album, 6 Feet Beneath the Moon, striking an uncanny balance between Frank Sinatra and New York no wave with his jazzy harmonies and fearless, anguished lyrics. Critics and labels were blown away by his cavernous voice, and soon, amid rising online buzz, Marshall was recruiting his mother to work as his manager. He was just 16 when he released the languid, Basquiat-referencing guitar ballad “Out Getting Ribs” under the name Zoo Kid. Born in August 1994 and raised in Southwark, London, Marshall had a tough childhood, but he found his way as a musician early on.
But his savvy production and jagged baritone voice have always exuded a depth beyond his years. Archy Marshall-better known as King Krule-cuts an unassuming figure with his thin frame and carrot-red hair.
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