Country : UK / United Kingdom Label : XL Recordings / Matador Genres and styles : Hip Hop / Jazz / Pop / Post-Punk / Punk Year : 2020

Man Alive!

· by Alain Brunet

Archy Marshall has already amply demonstrated his talent and vision with The Ooz, highlighting his knack for blending jazz, post-punk, balladry, hip hop, gritty tone, organized chaos and deep sensuality. A schoolboy crooner, hungover bard, and dishevelled night owl, the young Englishman resurfaces with Man Alive! under the banner of King Krule. For those shaken by his previous recordings, this opus was eagerly awaited. The first listens of Man Alive! may not have the immediate impact of his previous efforts, given that he’s now a known quantity, but… the seeds of Man Alive! do finally sprout, slowly but surely.

As one might desire, baritone sax, jazzy guitars and occasional voices from beyond the grave are here, as are phone-message psalmodies and post-punk jolts. This approach is more broad, and less depressive and agitated than expected. It seems that Mr. Marshall is on the verge of becoming a father, dividing his time between South London and Cheshire, where he envisions a more peaceful existence with wife and child.

In a fit of newfound family-man orthodoxy, Marshall even confessed to wallowing in the “super bizarre” in The Ooz, to justify the reduction of contrasts in Man Alive! It’s a shame he’s so self-flagellating, because there will be those who judge this new offering, as sensual and fluid as it may be, as perhaps not “super bizarre” enough… although very successful, one has to admit over subsequent listens. And long live the family!

Latest 360 Content

Mundial Montréal | Empanadas Ilegales: Cumbia Is Everywhere, also in Vancouver !

Mundial Montréal | Empanadas Ilegales: Cumbia Is Everywhere, also in Vancouver !

Mundial Montreal | Royal Treatment for Magdala

Mundial Montreal | Royal Treatment for Magdala

Mundial Montréal | Eli Levinson Presents The ENTIRE Program!

Mundial Montréal | Eli Levinson Presents The ENTIRE Program!

Festival Marathon de M pour MTL | Mikey’s Programming Overview

Festival Marathon de M pour MTL | Mikey’s Programming Overview

Tryptique

Tryptique

Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt – Forever Stories of: Moving Parties

Peggy Lee & Cole Schmidt – Forever Stories of: Moving Parties

Andrew Wells-Oberegger – Déjouer le glas

Andrew Wells-Oberegger – Déjouer le glas

Alfredo Santa Ana – Before the World Sleeps

Alfredo Santa Ana – Before the World Sleeps

BADBADNOTGOOD – Mid Spiral

BADBADNOTGOOD – Mid Spiral

Elisabeth Saint-Gelais – Infini

Elisabeth Saint-Gelais – Infini

Bryn Roberts – Aloft

Bryn Roberts – Aloft

Quatuor Esca – Esca

Quatuor Esca – Esca

Arthur Levering – OceanRiverLake

Arthur Levering – OceanRiverLake

Steven Osborne/London Philharmonic Orchestra, dir.: Edward Gardner – Tippett : Concerto pour piano; Symphonie no 2

Steven Osborne/London Philharmonic Orchestra, dir.: Edward Gardner – Tippett : Concerto pour piano; Symphonie no 2

The inner cinema of composer and sound artist Roxanne Turcotte

The inner cinema of composer and sound artist Roxanne Turcotte

Coup de coeur francophone – Gabriella Olivo + Daria Colonna

Coup de coeur francophone – Gabriella Olivo + Daria Colonna

Guillaume Villeneuve and Quatuor Cobalt’s Reflets du temps

Guillaume Villeneuve and Quatuor Cobalt’s Reflets du temps

N NAO – Pleine Lune

N NAO – Pleine Lune

Coup de cœur francophone | OGB: A Triptych of EPs and A Pair of Jazz Bangereux For a Strong Comeback

Coup de cœur francophone | OGB: A Triptych of EPs and A Pair of Jazz Bangereux For a Strong Comeback

Elisabeth St-Gelais: “Poursuivie par le même rêve” at l’Infini

Elisabeth St-Gelais: “Poursuivie par le même rêve” at l’Infini

Coup de cœur francophone | Sarahmée Ascends The Throne

Coup de cœur francophone | Sarahmée Ascends The Throne

AmyJo Doh & the Spangles – Spangle Landia

AmyJo Doh & the Spangles – Spangle Landia

OSM | Alpine Symphony: When Woods Become Sherpas

OSM | Alpine Symphony: When Woods Become Sherpas

Francis Choinière and OPCM: 10 Seasons And Counting

Francis Choinière and OPCM: 10 Seasons And Counting

Subscribe to our newsletter