King Krule - Man Alive! (2020) REVIEW

By Patrick Baker

Genre/s - Alternative/Indie

Other Albums/Compilations:

• 6 Feet Beneath The Moon (2013)
• A New Place 2 Drown (2015)
• The OOZ (2017)

Similar Artists - Mac DeMarco, The Microphones, Joe Strummer, Shane MacGowan
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OVERALL RATING

8/10

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Man Alive! is the fourth album released by the notoriously grim and enigmatic figure, King Krule (real name Archy Marshall), a London-based singer, songwriter, record producer and musician, known for his foggy, melancholic and avant-garde sounding tracks. Man Alive! builds on the already accomplished catalogue of King Krule, and provides a fresh, cohesive and polarising sound in the heavily saturated alternative/indie of today. It is an extremely personal album, which was most definitely impacted by his introduction to fatherhood, with the birth of his daughter in early 2019.

I distinctly remember the moment I fell in love with King Krule. I was walking through the streets of Brunswick, Melbourne on a cold, cloudy day in mid 2018. A friend had recommended King Krule's previous 2017 release, The OOZ, so I put in my earphones and found that the dreary, neo-psychedelic, guitar driven melodies, created a fitting ambience to the streets of Brunswick on this particular day. I was completely hooked and proceeded to listen to every release from King Krule. So when Man Alive! in January of this year (2020), I was instantly excited and keen to hear what the London-native would offer to the world next. It is safe to say I was definitely not disappointed when the release rolled around on the 21st of February. However, while small and few in number, Man Alive! has definite flaws. The tracks, 'Perfecto Miserable', 'Alone, Omen 3', '(Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On' and 'Energy Fleets' were all first previewed prior to the albums release in a very stripped-back, acoustic rendition in King Krule's short-film, Hey World! released in the latter parts of 2019.

The album opens with the track, 'Cellular', a mellow, post-punk orientated song, and from the first minute, I could tell that this is indeed a King Krule album, but still unique and manages to maintain a sense of identity among his discography. Compared to his previous releases, a lot of Man Alive! feels much more energetic and lively, but still manages to retain the signature gloominess and the provocative, emotive sensation synonymous with King Krule's music. A definite highlight for me was 'Stoned Again', which was surprisingly recorded in 2016 (before the release of The OOZ) with Argentinian saxophonist, Ignacio Salvadores who is mainly known for his work with King Krule. It is an extremely gritty, hard-hitting track that I would imagine would be great for a violent mosh-pit. The lyrics of 'Stoned Again' to me were a personification of marijuana in the form of a turbulent romantic partner, where there is soaring highs and crashing lows, which explains Archy's desire to break free from it, but his reluctance to leave. The subject matter of 'Stoned Again' is to me very representative of the overarching theme of Man Alive!, which I interpret as being Archy's personal experiences with his attempts to overcome his mental illness (depression), break free of his vices and mature not only for himself, but for his partner and daughter. 'Comet Face' shares some similarities with 'Stoned Again', which has an extremely catchy electric guitar plucking away as well as a smooth bass line that compliments the song perfectly. There are also some seriously sombre yet jazzy tones along with slight romantic themes (particularly 'Underclass') to the majority of the album (what else would you expect from a King Krule album), with tracks such as the smooth 'Perfecto Miserable', the sweeping 'Alone,Omen 3', 'Slinky', 'Airport Antenatal Airplane', '(Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On', the incredibly melancholy 'Energy Fleets', 'Underclass' and 'Complete Thee'. There is a mood of sadness or anger and the occasional uplifting moment ('The Dream' especially, and to an extent 'Alone, Omen 3') to every song of the album, with highly emotive and personal lyrics. Unfortunately where Man Alive! loses points for me is the underwhelming and personally annoying nature of tracks, such as 'Supermarché', 'Slinky' and '(Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On', where when I listen to the album again I find myself skipping these tracks.

To conclude this, Man Alive! is most definitely a more mature and well put together album in comparison to his previous works, and truly shows Archy's musical progression all the way from his debut album, 6 Feet Beneath The Moon (2013). It is an outlier in the alternative/indie scene, and that is certainly not a bad thing at all. It's distinctiveness and unusual distinctive sound is a treat for the ears, and this album certainly is an essential to the King Krule discography.

Favourite Tracks
- Cellular
- Stoned Again
- Comet Face
- Alone, Omen 3
- Theme for the Cross
- Energy Fleets
- Please Complete Thee

Least Favourite Tracks
- Supermarché
- Slinky
- (Don't Let The Dragon) Draag On


Related Videos from King Krule

King Krule - Cellular (Music Clip/Visuals)

King Krule - Alone, Omen 3 (Music Clip)