Thatchers Punk Innit? (Save The World - Get The Girl - The King Blues)

Member Name: freediveheaven

Product:	Save The World - Get The Girl - The King Blues
Date:	18/04/09 (259 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great range of songs

Disadvantages: One weak track

I heard about a website once where you have to write a movie review in three words, something many new writers on Dooyoo ritually do however they add 147 words of filler to make the 50p limit, well the title of this review is my attempt to do just that on an album that has been dominating my music listening for a few months now it is that good from a fresh new band that draws it influences from the music I listened to in my youth, many moons ago. In this album you can detect some ska and reggae influences, a lot of punk mixed with a dash of folk music and some Pogues for good measure.

The King Blues are, I believe, a band that heralds from north London and this is their second album and I love it to bits, it is innovative, edgy and boasts a wide range of styles and influences that has me singing at the top of my voice with total abandon much to the chagrin of the kids, the album boasts ten super tracks and a weak eleventh one which is a pretty good return on the £5.99 I spent with those good people at Play.com to buy this album.. So time for the review proper with a few questions thrown in.

Did he say Punk?

There is a strong punk influence in this album and in particular the Clash comes through on some of the tracks. The weakest track on the whole album, What if punk never happened? Is a sort of rap where punk bands are recognised and is pretty dire and overly long taking up six and a half minutes, however the real punk influences can be found in songs like Lets Hang the Landlord a real rabble rousing song with a very catchy chorus, there is a violin intro which is soon swamped by a rousing guitar and drum medley and then the gritty vocals cut in to tell the story of living in a squat. There is a strong string influence in this song and it has a lively upbeat rhythm to it.

There is also a strong punk influence on this album, tracks like The Schemers the Scoundrels and the Rats has a sort of mob lyric to it with a chorus of voices singing the main hook of the song, this is mostly a guitar driven song with an electric organ and drum the other dominant influence, the politics of this album are very left wing in their nature (something I will cover in more detail later) and this song is very much about celebrating the work shy culture of those who have better things to do than work for a living. Despite the dark overtones on this song it is upbeat and something that I expect will cross over well to a live performance. Another track which has a folk / punk influence is the wonderfully earthy For You my Darling, it opens with what I think is a harmonica and then a soulful lament about a spurned lover before bursting into what reminds me of a Georgian folk song, graphic guttural lyrics and a sort of umpah band sound running through it.

Did he say Thatcher?

The politics of this band are very much on the left, I was amazed to hear lyrics attacking Thatcher, and it was like regressing back to the era of Spitting Image and Ben Elton hosting Saturday Night Live. The Streets are Ours is an example of this, a remorseless driving beat over which are laid over Clash like lyrics however the pace of the song is more like something from a ska band like The Specials. It has a confusing chant section in the middle where I thought the lyrics were "Arse Face" when in fact they were actually singing "Arms Race" in a chant between the lead singer and a backing mob, it then descends into a drum and whistle blowing medley as if you are in the middle of a march, the whole song has a number of transitions that moves it along nicely.

Hold on Tight has a slower reggae feel to it and is a lament about the apathy surrounding society as the moment, a wonderful line,

"they want soap operas and not soap boxes"

sums up the sentiment of this song, I like the mellow feel to this song and in fact this band produces some very good slower paced songs to compliment the more aggressive raucous songs.

Did he say innit?

The lyrical style on this album has a certain cockney twang to it, you can also detect a slight lisping speech impediment of the lead singer and he is not averse to dropping the odd syllable.

The cockney twang comes through in some of the slower songs and also in my favourite song of the album I Got Love, it starts with an acoustic guitar solo and then the guttural lyrics kick in which are sung with real passion and the chorus has a real hook to it. Similarly the title track Save the World Get the Girl which has a more upbeat pop beat to it overlaying some slightly dark lyrics and a bit of swearing to boot. I love the way the lyrics on this song blend and flow together, some of the timings are quite tight and there are a couple of lines that raise a smile they are so sharp and cutting.

Underneath the Lamppost is a slow which captures the innocence and simplicity of love in a working class style, for some reason it is my daughters favourite on the album probably because the lyrics are the clearest on the whole album and is similar to Out of Luck which is another simply constructed song which relies on the strength of the lyrics as the guitar accompaniment is very basic as is the simple piano chords that are played in the background.

I really do enjoy the range of this album and I can imagine that this band are going to be a big hit at the festivals this summer, I have seen their names on a few of the play lists already and they are worth checking out especially as they are unlikely to be on the main stages so the performances may be a bit more intimate.

As I said I paid £5.99 on Play.com for this album and it has proved to be the best six quid I have spent in a long time.

Thanks for reading and rating my review.

Summary: Great musical variation with some real surprises.