Communion Records' London-from-Leeds band 'To Kill A King' make folk-infused indie in the vein of 'Dry The River' and 'Dog Is Dead' but also conjure up big band sounds like 'The National' and 'Arcade Fire'. But before running the risk of just listing bands that they remind me of I want to assure you that 'To Kill A King' channel the best aspects of these sounds to make one that is clearly their own, perfectly blending melody and songs with deep thought and frontman Ralph Pelleymounter’s honest narrative lyricism. They are certainly a band to cherish.
I have already managed to develop an emotional relationship with their latest single 'Funeral'. If it's anything to go on, the debut album (the brilliantly named 'Cannibals With Cutlery') must be a triumph. From the first swell of droning keys and that gorgeous finger picking guitar riff, that luckily continues through the rest of the song, you know this track is going to get you.
The track builds beautifully, swelling into epic brass heavy choruses and concluding in layers of vocal harmonies and rounds, highlighting the intimate lyrics above all else. The cleverly ironic: "I must make more friends, so they'll be hanging out at my Funeral. Just to make my parents proud, just to make my parents smile."
The music video is the perfect accompaniment. Shot in the lovely seaside town of Hunstaton, it depicts a father kidnapping his son's corpse from a coffin, sitting it up in a wheelchair and trying to live life with it in the delusion that his son is still alive. The congregation at the funeral are unaware that the coffin is empty, except for the son's sister and mother.
As the father takes his son around arcades and piers he becomes happier until a group of children run off with the man in the wheelchair engaging in the smae sort of activities as the father. Eventually the man comes into the possession of a hen party. The women are all wearing angel's wings and halos as a touching spiritual nod. They take him on to the beach and towards the sea (possibly as a symbolic passing to heaven).
When the father eventually finds his son's wheelchair, it is empty, with only some balloons tied to it. He then appears to have a heart attack but is rescued by his daughter who arrives and carries him off. The intimate symbolism provokes the message that we must let go of those that we have lost and live our lives. The bereaved, moving from this world into the unknown and we must take a risk to let them, hopefully for the better.
You can download this wonderful track from the usual outlets and watch the touching visuals below. The band have also kindly put up their EP 'My Crooked Saint' as a free download here. They are currently touring the UK. Check their site for dates and venues.