"the walls are padded white and pink / maybe you just want so much more..."
The lovely sideways pop ramble and prose of "So Much More" by UK's King Casio aka singer songwriter Aaron King is as pop pretty as it is melancholy avant garde. The first single from KC's upcoming debut album "Passing Time With King Casio" is inspired by Harry Nilsson's "The Point" and listening that makes sense but I must admit that upon first (and second) listens my immediate musical geiger counter pointed directly to early The Kinks (circa 1968 'Wonderboy' and 1970 'Strangers' colliding in pink). There is something about the cadence, some of the chord shapes and the inherent sadness within the vocal melody that feels very Ray Davies to me and that makes me happy.
Aaron King says the song is about: 'the sense of restless frustration I feel. On one hand, the song yearns for "something more pure," echoing my desire to understand how people operate and to help those around me. However, "the walls are padded white and pink" implies a sterile, controlled environment. It is here that I feel the song conveys the paradox. While on one hand, a sense of control can lead to us feeling safer, it can also null our sense of freedom and creativity—a sense of being stuck and not giving a shit.'
Awwwww, I look forward to the debut album, I sure do.
From LINER NOTES:
['So Much More' produced by Oli Barton Wood (Porridge Radio, Molly Payton, Declan McKenna). The track slides seamlessly between nursery rhyme and melancholia, showing us a deeper side to King Casio, whilst a child-like sense of wonder remains.]
-Robb Donker Curtius
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM
https://kingcasioband.bandcamp.com/track/bbbc
https://www.instagram.com/kingcasiomusic
https://soundcloud.com/kingcasio/so-much-more/s-s9znYqty7wI
King Casio seamlessly blends elements of folk, indie, and pop in the enchanting single 'I Know You Know'. This is London-based multi-instrumentalist Aaron King's first release as a solo artist, returning with a fresh, poppier sound, following on from the success of King Casio's releases as a three-piece. 'I Know You Know' explores the freedom that comes with the acceptance of the dark, as well as the lighter times. King sings 'I used to write the saddest songs, but in this mood, these songs are gone', masterfully capturing the intensity of life's contrasting emotions and their transient nature. It's also an existential meditation on the profound connections that exist between two people, even when everything changes. Anchored by the charmingly simple, yet mesmerizing chorus: 'I know, you know, There's nothing left for me. And you know, I know. It always comes in threes'. King's vocals, reminiscent of the evocative style of Robert Wyatt, add emotional depth and veracity to the song which is full of grandiose and darkly romantic swells. His self-assured voice, feels celebratory even in its darkest moments, insistently singing 'My ego shook and so it should'. The casiotone's soothing chords act as a container defusing the intensity of contrasting emotions through the accepted transience of these emotions. King Casio Live 19th August - Maps Studio - Kentish Town, London
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