KING KRULE Schallplatten & CDs

Review: It's hard to believe Archy Marshall, the 'real' name behind King Krule, is only 28. Not only does his back catalogue smack of wisdom and experience, a goldmine of resonant and reflective twisted punk jazz, dark wave, pop and trip hop, it often feels as though he's always been here, inviting us to share in disillusionment, anger, melancholy and honest reflections on being human. Since arriving into the musical conscious as a very young looking teenager, initially using the pseudonym Zoo Kid, there has always been this startling juxtaposition between fresh faced adolescent we see and the wizened master of observation we hear. Things have waned in terms of intensity, with Space Heavy a fine example - fragile and vulnerable in so many moments - yet the overwhelming power has actually increased.

Review: In the four years since his debut album as King Krule, south Londoner Archy Marshall has been busy as solo artist, collaborator, rapper and producer. He now returns with 'The OOZ', an expansive record that's densely packed with disparate musical influence, dark and personal storytelling, and Marshall's distinctive sneering charisma, all framed in his usual backdrop of seedy urban vaudeville. It's an incredibly layered album that offers the listener a guided tour through this disturbing and decayed landscape of atmospheric smoky jazz, grunge and ambient. Even at nineteen tracks with a runtime of just over an hour, The OOZ is something of an epic that never feels overdrawn, by dint of its richly illustrative, engulfing and transportive nature.