Review Summary: Mixing ska, folk, reggae and punk with massive pop hooks, 'Save The World, Get The Girl' is the perfect album to chase those blues away.
On the face of it, England's capital city is not a nice place to live. This year alone there have over 100 stabbings in London - nearly all of which involved young people. People are driven away by fear of terrorist threats after the 7/7 bombings, fear of being stabbed, or merely being pick pocketed. But really, London is a beautiful city. For the most part it is an example of people from all different ethnic origins living and working together in relative harmony - as are the King Blues. The core of the band is an ethnically diverse unit - Itch is half-Singaporean, Fruitbag is white, Jamie Jazz is Asian- and this lends itself to the band's diverse range of influences and styles within the punk genre.
Their style is a feel good mix of ska, punk, folk, reggae with summery pop melodies. If the album weren't released at a time when a large amount of snow was preparing to ejaculate itself over the face of our country this would be the perfect summer album. There is a much more prominent emphasis on melody and song-writing this time around for the band from London. This change in style is evident from album opener and lead-single
'My Boulder' with its huge chorus and catchy hooks making it a sure-fire winner. Given the change in style, while still sticking largely to what they now it acts a great introduction to the album. Elsewhere, the title track bounces along happily with an irresistible chorus made up of a childlike refrain of "I will save the world, I will get the girl, I'll dismantle a ticking time-bomb with just one second to spare," and
'I've Got Love' while slightly more gentle, is still a high-spirited affair. With this new-found skill of writing potentially chart-bothering choruses 'Save The World, Get The Girl' is more Lily Allen than Suicide Bid, but before you complain shut up - Lily Allen rules.
Elsewhere, the band explore new territory with the Gogol-Bordello-esque
'For You My Darling' to great success ("Jageshmash!") with sorrowful yet danceable accordion and violin parts. As always Itch's vocals are superb and he proves himself to be a versatile vocalist, sounding great on more obnoxious tracks like 'For You My Darling' as well as songs of ballad proportions detailing urban romance ("he went from Jack the lad to Jack the dad") such as
'Out of Luck'. On this track there is a thinner texture and quieter dynamic which offers variation to the album. The rest of the album however, is party time. The percussive interlude on
'These Streets Are Ours' nods to South-American carnivals and enhances a fast and furious song about protesting against society's evils. The heavy use of organs give the song a lively reggae feel and it is one of the best on the album.
The prestigious title of 'best song on album' is a difficult one to award given the high quality of each and every song here. One candidate might be the autobiographical
'Let's Hang the Landlord' with its joyous chorus and lyrical mastery. It is one of the poppiest songs here, but it is done with such abandon that it is a great success. Punk only in spirit, it is as catchy as the common cold but a million times more desirable. The most ambitious track however is saved for last with the near-seven minute
'What If Punk Never Happened'. Starting off A'Capella before building dynamically into an atmospheric conclusion it is a lyrical dissertation as to why punk rock is your friend. It is simply inspired and features brilliant lyrics such as "If we had Against Me! we could have done it unplugged; if we had Operation Ivy then we could have done it and ***ed off!" Given the band's tendencies towards activism, both political and social, it is a fitting end to a brilliant album.
A blog was posted on the band's Myspace page recently asking for fans to help them "ram-raid the UK albums chart" as early sales indicated that they had a fighting chance. They didn’t make it. But nevertheless 'Save The World, Get The Girl' is a brilliant album that would have been deserving of a chart position given the band's skill for penning pop songs with a lot of heart. Fans of 'Under The Fog', the bands debut album, may be a little apprehensive at that statement but there is really no need to be as the ragged ska/folk/reggae charm that was present on the band's debut is still there but with added pop sensibilities. Many thought that 'Under The Fog' was an unbelievably good album, and they're right -it was - and thankfully, though not as consistent, so is 'Save The World…' With winter coming and the world in "recession" this is the perfect album to chase those blues away.
