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Archy Marshall, AKA Zoo Kid, is fresh out of the school music room and with only 16 candles on his cake, he’s about to blow-up with new track Out Getting Ribs. That is according to folk legend and left wing activist, Billy Bragg.
He’s the focal point of a new upsurge of young British talent emerging from the hype machine, with his Arctic white Telecaster swinging around his neck and his baseball cap fixed on tight for the ascent.
Zoo Kid is positioned strongly on Purple Revolver’s radar which shoots an earnest eye into the future and predicts what’s around the bend, who is the next head honcho we ask? We can confirm, he’s definitely one to watch!
The London teen breaks out with some sultry guitar work on his tour de force, Out Getting Ribs, which is named after pencil-on-paper piece from Jean Michel Basquiat, dated 1982.
The video is just as avant-garde as Basquait’s original, set against a white screen, the camera blurs in and out of focus as Archy intones to his faithful dog, then to an elderly woman, as the camera sweeps to his side profile, he voices a nearly off-mic “I’m sorry”, before it splits.
Check out the video directed by Pegs aka Pegah Farahmand here >>>>>.
Zoo Kid is not averse to layering over thoughtful dub influences with swelling reverb and his use of 7th chords is masterful. Juvenilia this is not.
When the word “Teenager” is bandied about pejoratively under YouTube comments like confetti, this kid is doing wonders for the reps of the post-Bieber babes.
He marries his sound together with a deep guttural voice you’d expect to hear from a battle hardened crooner who smokes like a chimney.
Add to this the bags of lyrical inventiveness he conveys in songs like Ocean Bed, with all the novel phrasings and jarring strum patterns, the gritty language, and you have yourself a certified war chest of tunes to slay your neighbours ears with.
Ocean Bed is riddled with literary connotations having been inspired by WH Auden’s “Victor”. Have a read why don’t you… http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/victor-2/
It’s undoubted that Soundcloud has revolutionised the way fans can engage with their favourite music, and having access to the unreleased Zoo Kid gems online is a god-send.
Archy himself is a proponent of the filesharing system, publicising mixes by himself, friends and confidantes, all over his wall to titillate and inspire. It’s easy to see why his songs are spreading like viral wildfire.
The flame haired prodigy, who also goes under the moniker of King Krule, is destined for critical and commercial success it seems with such quality output, so early in his career.
And he has the seal of approval of legendary singer songwriter Billy Bragg who has been championing him in the press for some time. And no wonder Bragg holds him in such high regard, with lyrics that are dark and reticent, displaying the insight and world weariness of a musician far beyond his years.
The line “Hate… runs through my blood” opens Out Getting Ribs, and in the light of the recent social upheaval across the UK with the London riots, has a line ever been more prescient. It’s quasi-political, it’s raw, it captures the feeling of disenchanted youth – it’s the dogs bollocks.
Archy refers to his unique sound as “darkwave dub rock ‘n’ roll” which is befitting of the eclecticism he meshes together so artfully within his tunes.
Embracing sounds as varied as dub, Afro Caribbean roots music, old school East-Coast hip hop, spoken word, and yet all of this is anchored by the whimsical strains of his guitar, which harks back to a young and equally gifted Bill Ryder-Jones when he first started.
You need only check Zoo Kids Facebook Fanpage, and the videos he shares with his legion of followers to understand the diversity of his tastes.
These can be as varied as Linton Kwesi Johnson’s spoken word, Queens rap duo Mobb Deep, the big band stylings of Kid Creole and The Coconuts, as well as an SBTV banger from Kiefer and Super Dertie.
Check it all out for yourself on:
http://www.facebook.com/zookiduk