So it was a pleasant surprise to hear that King Prawn had reformed last year in 2012. After embarking on their first tour for nearly a decade, the reignited outfit have just released some brand new material, and despite original bassist Babar Luck choosing to opt out of the KP resurrection, the magic is still there. And after spending the last few years with Asian Dub Foundation, frontman Al Rumjen continues to deliver the lyrics with vital urgency surging through his unmistakable vocals.
While 'Done Days' evokes the sound of the beaten and bruised rising defiantly, it goes way beyond basic "ska-punk" in terms of melody, allowing a hint of soulful maturity to color the music. Then we get it's AA side, the awesome and somewhat darker 'A Solemn Man', which carries on from where 'Got The Thirst' left off. It builds slowly from Spanish-flavoured discontent into a rousing middle section before making fine use of their new expanded brass section towards the end. There's more to come too, as they have suggested that a new album is in the making. Good to have them back I say.
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