King Creosote - Flick the Vs

  by Jamie Rowland

published: 8 / 5 / 2009

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Kenny Anderson, aka King Creosote, has been recording since 1998, and in that time his output could be called nothing short of prolific; he has apparently released upwards of 40 albums to date. The latest of these is 'Flick the Vs', in which we find His Majesty mixing a bit of electro in with his usual acoustic folk style. Opener ‘No One Had It Better’ sounds like a Creosote track remixed by Kraftwerk, with a little latter-day New Order thrown in for good measure. At times the electronic element to 'Flick the Vs' hearkens back to the Beta Band – the aforementioned first track, ‘Two Frocks at the Wedding’ and ‘Fell an Ox’ particularly seem to carry this influence. It’s easy to see why ‘Coast on By’ has been chosen as the first single to be taken from this album; it’s by far the best song, with a driving bass-drum beat taking it into a catchy chorus. One of the criticisms often put to King Creosote is that his albums can become a little morose after a while – and there are certainly enough downbeat songs in his repertoire to suggest there’s a decidedly glum look slapped across his beardy face. While I would like to say that there’s nothing wrong with making room for something a little melancholy every now and then, I have to admit that 'Flick the Vs' falls into the same trap. By the time you get to track 4, you really are looking for a change of tone. With none of the 10 tracks running shorter than 3 and a half minutes, getting to the end becomes a bit of a slog, and it seems far too tempting to just turn in off and put something a bit lighter on. Individually, the songs are all great – mix them in with the rest of your records on an MP3 player, turn on ‘shuffle’, and you’ll no doubt get plenty of enjoyment out of them – ‘Rims’ and ‘No Way She Exists’ are particular stand-outs – but as a complete piece, 'Flick the Vs' is lacking the variation in mood to stop it becoming a bit tedious.

Track Listing:-

1 No One Had It Better
2 Two Frocks At A Wedding
3 Camels Swapped For Wives
4 No Way She Exists
5 Fell An Ox
6 Coast On By
7 Nothing Rings True
8 Curtain Craft
9 Rims
10 Saw Circular Prowess

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