Seraphina Lotkhamnga on September 17th, 2013

0

When you first glance at Archy Marshall, you marvel at how young he looks. Then when you really take a look at the red-headed former Brit School attendee, you can believe he’s at least 19 years old. However, when Marshall – aka King Krule – sings his first note, the gigantic bellow comes as a shock. Previously performing under the moniker Zoo Kid, Marshall’s debut album “6 Feet Beneath the Moon” (released last month on his birthday via True Panther Sounds) is considered to be a darkwave album, and it’s an aptly labeled genre. The follow-up to his self-titled EP incorporates soul, jazz, blues – where his guitar-centric songs pair Marshall’s howls of despair with funky melodies, it’s a combination that’s drastically different from the music he makes as DJ JD Sports or Edgar the Beatmaker. The songs he releases as King Krule sound as if Marshall is spitting them out. Interestingly, lyrics like “Then the soul chokes” in “Border Line” and “I’m the only one believing / That there’s nothing to believe in” in “Has This Hit?” entice rather than draw pity. He’s not just a sullen teenager. As King Krule, Marshall confronts fear and hopelessness, in frequently arresting ways.

||| Live: King Krule plays sold-out shows tonight and Wednesday at the Echo.