My first thoughts upon hearing Miss King were ‘how long does this go on for?’ and ‘I wonder what the hamster is doing’. Initially, it really was that bad. Then I allowed myself to listen to ‘Yellowcake’, King’s opener and latest single, properly, and I realised it was not actually that bad at all. Dwelling upon ‘Yellowcake’ a little longer, I find it sums up King’s work entirely, in that her music isn’t for everyone and it is slightly strange, but underneath it all, King is making something that is entirely her own and is devoid of any common influences.
In many respects, King is the female equivalent of Jose Gonzalez mixed in with a little smidgen of Sigur Ros, and at many points in the album, I am not entirely convinced that this is a combination that works for King. From the prolonged ‘Ahuvati’ to ‘These Are The Armies Of The Tyrannized’, there were many moments when I thought King could not make what is a strong talent for guitar playing any more boring. It was almost like waiting for a train only to find out it has been cancelled and the next one is delayed by three hours.
However, King has musical strength. She can certainly play better than any of these KT Tunstall’s or Sandi Thom’s, and her voice is reminiscent of a young Tanya Donnelly, as demonstrated in the fantastic ‘You Don’t Have To Be Afraid’. It was this sheer talent that got King through a a parting of ways with her previous record company, and led King to produce Until We Felt Red off of her own back. Admirable, admittedly, but in many respects, it appears that King is trying to blaze a trail that is trying too hard to move away from the likes of the Alanis Morisettes and Sheryl Crows of this world and ‘Until We Felt Red’ often sounds forced and awkward, as if King doesn’t know quite what to do with all this production and technology malarkey. Almost like kissing your friend’s brother, just to say that you had done it.