Funk operatics and the blistering, electrified grooves found in the Sons of Ken discography are no small fortune. We are the Kens puts together the tongue-in-cheek and head-in-the-clouds punchiness of techno tunes at their best. The likes of Disco Sucks still play on – an occasion to mark the bleary-eyed mornings where a jolt of energy comes from a Tassimo machine insistent on leaving white, bleach-like crumbs in your coffee and a battering of loud sounds and machinery piped through noise-cancelling headphones. Bleed those moments together and the great joys of the morning are tied together, particularly when playing We Are the Kens. Their upbeat stylings and use of artificial intelligence pin them as, so far, the only artists working correctly with the power of controversial tech innovations.
An autobiographical swing to opener We Are the Kens gets to the process of a Kens track. How the process comes together as Michael Moran makes a step up to vocal duties is much the same as their best bits from previous EPs but has the same energetic references and contemporary flavours as LCD Soundsystem did with Losing My Edge. Structure and the thorough explanation listeners are offered as a soundboard of creative whirrs and effective, robotic booms pours through is audio gold. Brief booms of the Tom Verlaine brilliance feature within Fool’s Gold. Industrial thumps reminiscent of Travelling filter through as the Sons of Ken flex their smart sampling methods on Get Phat. Is it sampling or smart flickers of contemporary audio made to sound lifted from the white smiles of 1950s radio advertisements? Whatever the case, it works, and it is the state of fluster and confusion We are the Kens can maintain which makes it such an interesting experience.
Ever-present moments of PlayStation 1 soundtrack wonders are what MURDERBEAT brings to the table. There is no stopping the Sons of Ken. This is it. A wonderful, frenetic and inspired time with a sincerely optimistic yet culturally reactive piece of electronic brilliance. Those who need an electronic fix now Ratatat has died a slow death are in luck as We Are the Kens brings the noise and keeps it steady, thumping away with a sincere consistency lacking on other electronic records. Sons of Ken take risks but balance the likes of Whistling in the Dark and the apocalyptic-sounding On Hold with familiar boasts of telephone lines and the out-of-office calls as the end times loom. Moran and fellow son of Ken, Spike Burridge, are obsessed with the blistering whirrs of old-school sci-fi and it can be heard clearest of all on What’s He Doing in There?
Electronic tones to spend the afternoon with are in short supply. Quality is even slimmer. We Are the Kens is an exceptional release – a dance-ready life-giver on the prowl for those veering for a comedown. Slick instrumental work is filtered through and lingers underneath some fine layers of electronic fury. It is the best of the genre in its current conception and the Sons of Ken prove themselves a consistent duo. Joe vs The Singularity samples Joe Walsh and has the Eagles guitarist on hand to dispel fears of artificial intelligence in music. It all depends on the ethics of its use and for Sons of Ken the argument can be made for its use as a crutch to its core points rather than an extracurricular device coming for your job. The divide is clear, between Sons of Ken and something like Anna Indiana.
