Glittering, hypnotic and delightfully out-of-this-world
On his fourth studio album, Space Heavy, King Krule continues to blend jazz and punk in a simultaneously low-hi and high-octane environment. From the not-so-subtle jazz movements throughout the record to Krule’s buttery vocals, the album feels like a glittering journey through space that is still punctured by the feelings of modern life.
In the opening track, “Flimsier,” a wavy synth tunes into a soft guitar sequence that seemingly makes time stop in its grace. The synth reappears, allowing Krule a place to enter with discrete vocals that fall straight off the bone. Krule and guitar are a match made in heaven, as the low vocal inflections harmonize with the softly crooning guitar.
A distorted guitar solo interrupts the pairing with a jarring, hypnotic energy. The description of “Flimsier” is a good guiding point for most of Space Heavy overall but Krule adds a few embellishes to his tracks. One of the most notable points is his use of jazz elements and instrumentation to help build the track.
While the synths and flangers can be already enough to help build a mystical dreamscape, the risk of using trumpets and saxophones could seem out of place entirely and make reality come crashing down. Krule instead shifts those original building blocks around to create a pocket for new instruments, such as in “That Is My Life, That Is Yours,” a song about trying to find a lost love with no hope.
Krule uses a bombastic sax solo to help counteract the lyrical subject matter and emphasize the war he mentions throughout his lyrics. The sax roars to life, completely taking over the song through wailing notes and staccato punctuations in its off-kilter incorporation. These changes help separate the many ballad-like tracks on the album from the more upbeat or angry songs.
While the instrumental is amazing, Krule’s lyricism is another standout from this album overall. Krule bounces back in forth between these beautiful visions and metaphors in the ballad tracks to a more reality-focused wordscape in songs like “Pink Shell,” which focuses on moving on and dealing with lost love. The bass fills this track’s opening moments and keeps an ooze-like veil over the entire song.
Krule’s usually smooth vocals turn into venomous snake bites spitting out poison as guitar swirls around him, interjected with a quick brass instrumental: “A long, long time coming/ Since I’ve seen, it’s golden/ It’s golden/ We’re golden/ But only in the sun.”
The best track on the record comes near its conclusion, speaking about another ending in a relationship and seeing the place that used to be safe. As another ballad, it’s filled with a soft, airy, flanger guitar but is dominated by Krule’s vocals. However, it shifts more than other ballads on the album, as the guitars get louder and Krule’s voice fills with anger before dropping once again: “Our picture of a room, our stillness, our moon/ In between the gaps of the stars, we lay in the dark.”
Overall, King Krule has produced another out-of-this-world album that captures both heartbreaks and love easily, with the help of some brass instruments and a little synth work. While the album may be called Space Heavy, the title is only half true. The album doesn’t feel heavy but it will sure take the listener into space.
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