The OOZ - King Krule
In terms of genre and musical style, King Krule has been described as punk jazz, jazz fusion, and even darkwave.
The first instance of Archy Marshall’s(known by his stage name King Krule) music came in the form of two singles under the name Zoo Kid. With this, he created the genre “Bluewave” and released a mixtape titled “U.F.O.W.A.V.E.” which followed this new genre.
It wasn’t until 2011 that Marshall began using the name King Krule, releasing the first EP under that name later in the year. In December 2012, King Krule was nominated for the Sound of 2013 poll. In 2013, his debut album was released -- 6 Feet Beneath the Moon. After this, King Krule appeared on Conan and the Late Show with David Letterman. On October 13, 2017, King Krule released his second full album -- The OOZ. In terms of genre and musical style, King Krule has been described as punk jazz, jazz fusion, and even darkwave.
The OOZ is comprised of 19 songs, most of them on the slower side. Now, I personally have pretty mixed feelings about this album. I feel like the album is hit-or-miss. You either like the song or you don’t. I didn’t really feel any “in-betweens” on any songs. Some of the songs on the album I really enjoyed. I really liked "Biscuit Town" and will for sure be adding it to my Spotify playlist. But, other ones weren’t really for me.
I think you definitely have to be in the mood to listen to this album. It’s very dark and slow, so I’ve found that I have to be pretty in the right attitude to be listening to it. The album feels split in two, the first half having a very devil-may-care sort of vibe which reminds me of Gorillaz -- more specifically, Demon Days. The second is much more groovy and reminds me of Apache Tomcat. The album has a whole is comprised of a huge variety of different instruments and techniques that really makes this album stand out from many other albums I’ve listened to. Several songs include a saxophone and others feature whispers and non-rhythmic speaking that adds to the dark jazzy sound the album has. While it isn’t for everyone, I can say with confidence that it is an experience -- one I would not be opposed to listening to again.
Track Listings: Biscuit Town, The Locomotive, Dum Surfer, Slush Puppy, Bermondsey Boson (Left), Logos, Sublunary, Lonely Blue, Cadet Limbo, Emergency Blimp, Czech One, (A Slide in) New Drugs, Vidual, Bermondsey Bosom (Right), Half Man Half Shark, The Cadet Leaps, The Ooz, Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver), La Lune
Best Tracks: Biscuit Town, Dum Surfer, Logos, The OOZ, La Lune
