By Andrew Judd, Correspondent
Kaki King’s fifth studio album, Junior, was released April 13 under Rounder Record. It is her first full-length album since her 2008 effort, Dreaming of Revenge, and bears little resemblance to it. King has made her living as a personable and sincere acoustic guitarist with indie-rock tendencies. A highly-recognized acoustic virtuoso, King was the first woman to be named “Guitar God” by Rolling Stone magazine. She has been lauded for her interesting technique, which often involves a healthy dose of lap guitar inspired tapping and loop pedals.
To say that her new album is a complete departure from this style would be unfair. It is, however, obvious that this album is not like her others. Gone are the upbeat and concise pop songs of her last album. Gone is the faint glow of hope brimming up through the cracks in the floorboards. This album is somber as it is virulent, downtrodden yet deadly. At times King paints a slow meandering soundscape devoid of direction or purpose. The album is a long twisting tentacle, grasping out from the dark: the arm of King’s inner demons, perhaps.
It is clear that King has a lot to say with this album. Her vocals call to mind other indie-grunge rockers like Tegan and Sara and An Horse. Her falsetto is more fierce now, more frenetic. The album does not trifle itself with the shy, almost-whispered grievances of past albums, opting, rather, for a more confident, in-your-face model of story telling.
The overlying theme of the record is deceit and treachery. King expresses this through several disjointed spy-themed stories. The lyrics seem to suggest that King is perhaps expressing guilt for her past actions. In “The Betrayer,” she voices remorse, singing “I did this to you , yes I did . I had my own life to save.” This self-blame seems to be a recurring theme throughout the record. Though it is impossible to know the perspective through which King is writing, the guilt-ridden first person format lends itself quite well to the music’s introspective angle.
There is, however, an undeniable beauty and depth to King’s tragedy. Many familiar elements are still present, not the least of which is the incredible guitar detail. King is a popular guitarist for a reason: raw talent. On previous records, she had taken it upon herself to write and record all the music herself. For Junior, she recruited two Berklee College of Music graduates Dan Brantigan and Jordan Perlson; the former plays an electronic wind instrument called the EVI, while the latter mans the drum set. What is so enticing about this album is that even though she spends so much time weaving aimlessly from lick to lick, she somehow manages to bottle this chaos, and package it into contained, four minute songs.
King is a master at building suspense, as observed in songs like “Hallucinations from my Poisonous German Streets” wherein a slow atmosphere is driven by a lilting sense of discord. As soon as you have settled into the song she shifts directions and hits you with “Death Head,” which breaks the silence with a fierce release of amplified guitar. It is this cycle of highs and lows that makes Junior such an interesting record, and well worth a listen.
