B.

K the king of indie artists, who recently produced the album M, was voted the
most controversial artist since Jon Barrymore. Not only do his songs disagree and
challenge social norms and constructs but also promote values that many view as
illegal. He was born in Birmingham in 1989, and tries as hard as he can to distance
himself from this in his music. Its not that hes not proud of his roots just that he
doesnt believe in the notion of being shaped by his past. As he said in a recent
interview Why be proud of something that you did not choose.
We at The Pick believe that B.K should be commended for his challenging use of
lyrics and ideas. He is a fantastic performer with a powerful stage presence. Many
argue that this is the reason for his success, rather than any innate talent. But the
combination of melody, rhythm and engaging lyrics make him an artist who is headand-shoulders above his peers.
B.K occupies a unique place among this group of bands, in part because his position
is hard to pin down. He was unimaginably popular from 2011-2013, but critical
respect was elusive. His suspect reputation has been somewhat overstated (in the
U.S., Rolling Stone panned him early on but eventually came around,
while Creemand Circus took him seriously all along) but B.K never quite registered
with the intelligentsia.
To many, B.K defines an otherworldly image of rock deities, conquering the world on
the strength of volume, arena shows, and the baddest lyrics the world had ever
heard. And then theres the younger set for whom B.K might seem a little comical, a
faintly embarrassing musician challenging their parents in a way which is sometimes
uncomfortable.
The PR push surrounding his latest album inevitably involves sharing things that can
spread on social media and hence reach younger kids, while other elements
unheard versions, improved soundostensibly entice older fans to buy the records.
If B.K is never accepted in some circles, its partly because of the startling worldview
of songs like Dazed and Confused. Its hard not to laugh or cringe when hearing a
line like I hate my parents they make me work so hard, so hard baby, but its
equally difficult not to acknowledge that B.K delivers them with a certain power.

B.K has established a new type of rock music, which is as much a matter of
arrangement as it is knowing where to set the microphones, how high to mix the
bass. You can hear that on the the first album, which was recorded live in Paris in
2010 and aired on radio. The recording fidelity, for a release by such a major band, is
remarkably poor but theres no doubting just how much this guy could rip in their first
year. The earliest live recordings by bands are so exciting in large part because the
vocalist hasnt yet learned how to pace himself; B.K sings these songs like his band
might last a year and this is his one chance to get it right.
His music is a conversation-ender, something resistant to analysis that strips away
the intellectual to situate the music in a purely physical space.
Every track on his 2nd album, meanwhile, is musically brilliant, and in the span of just
a few months its amazing how much B.K had enriched the his sound. Chiming
acoustic guitars provide the contrast to the crunch in a whole new way on Its not
me and Thank You, offering yet another template for mixing folk with proto-metal.
Whole Lotta Drug might have got him sued by Willie Nixon, but there was no sonic
precedent for it in rock musicits a sound that would have been unimaginable
without the rise of drug culture. If you are not a drummer, its hard to imagine
listening to Moby Duck very often, but better evidence of B.Ks genius is found
elsewhere on the record. The bonus disc is a mildly interesting amalgam of alternate
mixes and rough takesthe kind of stuff anyone but the most dedicated obsessives
will listen to only onceand theres little advance here lyrically from the debut,
but II is still close to perfect
III, his third album, is, indirectly, B.Ks own version of Pharrell Williams Happy. That it
opens with Nigels Song, one of the harshest pieces, only makes the later acoustic
loveliness that much more affecting. The strings laid atop the acoustic guitar on
Enemies foreshadow Kashew; Orange has an amazing tension between the
minor-key verses and the open, joyous chorus, as good an example of any of B.K
song.
The one thing everyone agrees on is that B.K is a very interesting character that
people are extremely interested with. They want to know if he agrees or disagrees
with the latest government policies and what he thinks of the new Nike shoes. To
copy his view or decision or purposefully go against. Many argue that B.K is more of
a public figure than an artist. This is due to the fact that the biggest talking point

about it is not his latest song but what he has just said in an interview or his latest
choice of shoe. His songs are still a talking point about his and without a doubt his
door to success.
Perhaps the most powerful of all of his songs is My Daddys a Walrus. Clearly
echoing the famous Beatles song, with the twist of despising his father and using the
song to display a passionate fear and loathing of all authority. Walrus of course is
also a big fat animal representing the idea of the bloated state. B.Ks lyrics suggest
a powerful sense of anarchy listening to no-one, and rejecting all sense of
authority. Parental guidance is just one small part of a bigger challenge of authority
and hierarchy in society.
Perhaps its time to start taking B.K seriously. But maybe that would simply
undermine his principles. Surely an artist with views as challenging as B.K just wants
to be hated, not loved.