“Man Alive!” by King Krule

By Hannah Dove

Judging by the lack of paternal sound within King Krule’s third album, “Man Alive!,” you wouldn’t expect him to be a new father. The 25-year-old Londoner comes through with an album that is leaner and meaner than its two predecessors, sporting a post-punk edge to many of the tracks that would not have fit on previous works. Take the menacing bassline on the third track, “Stoned Again,” as an example. 

This appears to be a change of scenery, but don’t be fooled—King Krule leans heavily on dreary atmospherics and reverberated psychedelia, as he always has. This becomes more evident as the album transitions from its relatively energetic first half into a hushed, soft second half. A jazzy underbelly takes prominence, with some well-timed saxophone in a few tracks, making “Airport Antenatal Airplane” (the song Marshall dedicated to his infant daughter) almost like a lullaby. 

Admittedly, the middle portion can get a bit bogged down, shrouded in too much fog; one can get enveloped in the rainy mood that King Krule presents, even if the song isn’t top-quality. Yet there’s a lot to dig through, even in the album’s weaker moments. Luckily for us, the quality picks up towards the end of the album, with songs like “Theme for the Cross” and “Underclass.” A man alive perhaps, but drifting out to sea.