By special request and popular demand this album has been ripped at 320kbps and the album cover is included in the ID3 tags.
March 2011
With The Red Blooded Years, aKING returns to the SA music scene with an album that is fresh and infused with new energy. The Red Blooded Years, recorded at Bellville Studios and produced by acclaimed music producer Theo Crous, is still unmistakably aKING, but the sonic influences of new member, Andrew Davenport, is impossible to ignore.
“The title refers to our experience of growing up. I suppose it’s the themes of youth which sort of chronicles our coming of age, as a band and as individuals.”
– Jaco “Snakehead” Venter
The first music video from the album, The Runaround, has just premiered on local television and features the band adventuring in a mystical marine world. The video was produced by Louis Minnaar, known for his high-quality conceptual work with a number of top local bands, including Van Coke Kartel, Yesterday’s Pupil and Bittereinder. Catch Alight, the second single off the album with its catchy lyrics, poppy synths and earworm musical hooks has all the traits of a massive radio hit – the type of song which summer memories are made of.
“Having a new member in the band allowed for new sounds and influences to creep in.”
– Hennie Van Halen
The Red Blooded Years has been more than a year in the making and its diverse content testifies to aKING ‘s dimensioned artistic journey. Experimentation and innovation was key and the final product is one that heralds the group’s graduation from a mainstream rock outfit to a multi-disciplinary, cross-genred one. The shift in focus is clearly noticeable from the first note on the first track and, as the album progresses, the band pulls out all the stops.
“Lines from books, thoughts, snatches of conversation, I guess our lyrics kind of represent our bands’ collective consciousness.” – Laudo Liebenberg
The mixture of inspiration, influences and musical sensibilities vary from new wave electronic to soulful country rock to down-and-dirty rock ‘n’ roll. These various gear shifts make for an album which grips the listener and keeps him interested throughout. One thing is certain – this is not a boring album and, whatever your conception of the “ aKING sound” has been in the past, this will no doubt be the album that forces you to re-assess it.
The Red Blooded Years stands out as a young rock band’s coming of age. With their mounting maturity and growing confidence, aKING now emerges from the safety of the old and trusted while departing on an exploration of uncharted and mysterious territory – that of musical evolution.
“I suppose it’s the themes of youth which sort of chronicles our coming of age,
our growing up, as a band and as individuals.”
Snakehead Venter
2010 was a year of change, recommitment and creativity for aKING. Now the band is set to release their third full-length album, The Red Blooded Years, in March. Rehearsing the new material in preparation for the album’s launch tour, Laudo, Snakehead, Hennie and Andrew shared some thoughts about the new album from their Cape Town foreshore studio. “The Red Blooded Years was the first song we wrote for the album – from there the title,” says Snake. “The title refers to our experience of growing up. I suppose it’s the themes of youth which sort of chronicles our coming of age, as a band and as individuals.”
With so much change last year, was there any change in the process through which they brought The Red Blooded Years to life? “We always start with a riff first,” says Laudo. “Then we will all add words until a theme establishes itself. Lines from books, thoughts, snatches of conversation, I guess our lyrics kind of represent our bands’ collective consciousness. And even though the lyrics are still cynical in places, we really wanted to get back to a feel-good vibe with this album.”
“For those weeks of recording, there was another member in our band, and that
brought a whole new dynamic to the way we create music.”
Hennie van Halen
The band again recorded with Theo Crous, who also recorded Against All Odds, at Bellville Studios. “It was an intense but fantastic experience,” says Hennie. “For those weeks of recording, there was another member in our band, which brought a whole new dynamic to the way we create music.” “Also, having more time to record, all the shared experiences, and the luxury of time to live through them, had a major impact on how we wrote and recorded this album,” adds Laudo.
The Runaround, the first single off the album, is also the first music video. “In a sea of dead lovers you’re hard to recognize – I guess the song started out being about artful deceit, the proverbial “runaround” people give one another in relationships, but in the end it turned out to be a song about young men being drafted into war,” says Laudo. “Louis Minnaar made the music video,” says Snake. “It has a kind of a submarine theme, very The Life Aquatic. Louis is just such a pro – six hours and you’re out of there. Then he adds in all the magic afterwards.”
“Last year, we all just recommitted to our relationship as a band. We made a
conscious commitment to each other and to our creativity…”
Laudo Liebenberg
After the album’s launch in March, the band will tour across South Africa to bring the new music to fans. “I’m really looking forward to sharing the new stuff live,” says Laudo. “Touring is very bonding for a band,” adds Hennie. “I think, last year, we all just recommitted to our relationship as a band,” states Laudo. “We made a conscious commitment to each other and to our creativity. We all wanted to do something different and inspiring with this album.”
“It’s also exciting having a new instrument onstage,” says new member Andrew Davenport. “Hennie will be playing most of the keyboard parts when we play live, but when we rehearse, everyone just picks up everything and jams away.” Could this explain the distinct 80s sound to The Red Blooded Years? “I think the keyboard brings that,” says Hennie, “but also, having a new member in the band allowed for new sounds and influences to creep in. Apart from the sonic elements, Andrew also brought his unique energy to our band dynamic, and I think that comes across very strongly on this album.”
And lyrical influences on the album? “Sit down and drink with me – the remains of today are still shivering – I think that’s a good way to sum up the album, lyrically-speaking,” says Laudo. “I don’t know, I just wanted to keep things honest and sincere. It was vocally challenging at times, as a lot of the music is written quite high. But many of us sang on this album, Hennie, Andrew, even Theo sang some of the very high parts. I’m just really looking forward to singing these songs live.”
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