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 Album Review 

The Kings are in the Building
by Clarissa

“Save the cheerleader, save the world”, is one of those 21st Century sayings everyone knows. Okay, maybe not everyone, but those of us who avidly watch “Heroes” should be familiar with the phrase coined by Hiro. It seems then, with their new album “Save the world. Get the girl”, The King Blues are set to be heroes of something. Street Superheroes in fact. “Save the world. Get the Girl”, is a great name for an album title and elucidates what the album is about.

This album is really interesting, a mixture political punk, the ska of social realism and some very poppy tunes. The King Blues are MUCH better version of the streets. I’d say they’re in a league of their own, simply because I haven’t really heard anything like this. There is a rawness and sincerity to this album which you find hard to come by nowadays. It’s dealing with tribulations in life: war, love, homelessness etc. But they are not begging for sympathy. Kings rarely do that. But what strikes me though amidst all of that is with all “serious” stuff. You just get the feeling the King Blues really enjoy making music. There is seriousness but there is also reckless fun. It’s anarchy really.

Just thought I’d mention this before going on to the album. The additional features are great. With a comic book that is almost “animal farm-esque”. Revealing The King Blues to be real artists. It’s also cool to watch even after listening to the song it’s based on “Lets hang the landlord”. The animals become like the groups individual personas. And personally think the comic book is more effective than the actual video for the song.

Looking like a band of bandits, in their blue and gold and black and white bandanas on the front cover there is something intriguing about this group. Revolutionary in fact. I specifically like the way they kind of unify genres and people as seen from the line “We are one people, we are equal, you are wonderful and rare”, cleverly slipped into the song “I got love”. I also like the tone of rap and reggae that permeates through all the tracks, even though The King Blues are often categorized as a punk group.

I love “I got love”, it is almost a pop tune with its simple acoustic guitar. The songs simplicity is refreshing, and a nice break from some of the processed musical mumbo jumb . My favorite lyric “For the frightened fall as often yet far closer than the brave”, which is oxymoronic . The song “Underneath This Lamppost Light”, is an exquisite track, and I really love it. Gets away from idealism of love moves towards realism of love. “We’ll walk through the city and talk about what holds no relevance” is the first line of the song, and you really hear the tenderness of the voice of “The King Blues”. Yet juxtaposed against such a sound is are lyrics like “I revealing their humor and that “rudeboy” charm. I don’t want to keep using the word real. But it is very real, there is a candid realism within the lyric. I mean you just get the sense the king blues lyrics are based on real experience and a lot people could be able to relate to this. Such a song must speak to a generation of BOYS.

“Save the world, get the girl” and “Hold on Tight” are great tracks with lyrics like “it seems so absurd, going to war to prevent war is the most stupid thing I ever heard” and “On billion channels and there’s nothing on”. Seldom do songs really make you think and entertain you. They both also encapsulate the cynicism and humour in many of the tracks. But more importantly shows how that these boys are clued up about the world, and are far from unintelligent.

“For you my Darling” is a classic, although I would have liked to hear the slow paced singing, and accordion like instrument heard in the intro, perhaps for the whole of the song. Although I’m sure other people might not be disappointed with the up beat folksy change.

The best perhaps really was saved till last, as the curtain of the album closes with the song “what if punk never happened”. With lyrics like “I'm stuck in this hippy grunge reality..buildings are crumbling down from apathy”, the last track really exposes their talent and verbal virtuoso, as they show us the dystopia of our “big brother is watching” world. ID cards CCTV, it really isn’t good. Is it? The King Blues go out with a big “Bansky” bang and leave us with the message: “Punk rock has the power to change the world”. And after listening to the last track and in fact the whole album you might see why in fact the world needs to be change, and that punk rock, or indeed music itself, does have the capacity to do this.

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