King Krule: Man Alive! (XL/Rhythmethod)

 |   |  <1 min read

King Krule: Man Alive! (XL/Rhythmethod)
Much as Elsewhere was quite engaged by Archy Marshall's previous albums 6 Feet Beneath the Moon (2013) and The Ooz three years ago – especially the latter – this “difficult third album” has a half-baked quality and his always variable material here too often dips into the area of incomplete ideas/indulgent shapelessness and the downright irritating.

Such fully realised songs or half-sung pieces as there among these 14 tracks – some of which are mere bagatelles of sound, quasi-jazz (Theme for the Cross) or less – are so few that you wonder what has sucked the energy out of his aspirations and abilities.

The opener Cellular is such a lame and obvious piece of cheap early Eighties synth pop that it sounds perilously close to parody and if you do get to the final piece --, the anemic Please Complete Thee where he seems barely awake enough to speak above the sound design -- you might wonder what there was to remember and where 40 minutes of your life just went.


You can hear Man Alive! at Spotify here.


Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Music at Elsewhere articles index

Po' Girl: Home To You (Shock)

Po' Girl: Home To You (Shock)

The previously posted Po' Girl album Vagabond Lullabies was actually a few years old and only given belated release in this country. But it was too good to ignore, and allowed me to set you up for... > Read more

The Sleepy Jackson: Personality (EMI)

The Sleepy Jackson: Personality (EMI)

I was surprised that this ambitious neo-psychedelic pop album -- which has been winning huge praise in the UK -- wasn't heftily reviewed here, especially since the visionary behind it (who has... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . VIRGIN RECORDS: From prog to punk, Bells to Bodies

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . VIRGIN RECORDS: From prog to punk, Bells to Bodies

Although a considerable amount of other music happened in New Zealand during the Eighties – and some still feel aggrieved their effort and output goes under-acknowledged – there was a... > Read more

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . THE COMFORTABLE CHAIR: Much admired but short-lived psychedelic folk

WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT . . . THE COMFORTABLE CHAIR: Much admired but short-lived psychedelic folk

Let's throw around the names of a few fans of this band out of California in the late Sixties. First we might mention Jim Morrison of the Doors who “discovered” them. And famous... > Read more