Kid Kasio - The Kodo Song

Buy Kid Kasio's music here (UK iTunes)

There is no denying that the new single from Kid Kasio (entitled The Kodo Song) is a creative labour of love. And while this is true of all his musical endeavours to date, this song feels like his most innovative and satisfying musical growth thus far. It's always exciting to watch an artist develop and grow - certainly the progressions made in streaming music has made this more possible than ever. Kid Kasio is an artist whom takes and owns his responsibility to strive for excellence with each release seriously - and the rewards for people listening to and watching his music are exponential. In short, he's the real deal and you should absolutely be paying attention. The Kodo Song is about two friends enlisted to fight in the Anglo - Zulu war. It's not your usual pop song fare and the gravitas of the lyrics only adds to the indelible impact that this song has. It's set to a textured wall of sound that includes repeated synth loops that bubble with a nervous energy alongside bewildering electro-sounds (that bring to mind the effect Abba gave on their equally evocative track The Visitors). As a militant beat kicks in, Kid Kasio commands this eclectic score thanks to an impassioned vocal that weaves all these elements together. The verses bring a tangible feeling of trepidation at the situation presented that crescendos into the musical equivalent of a battle cry as it charges towards the exhilarating chorus. KK has done an excellent job of mirroring the emotions and energies of soldiers at war, so much so that there's a tinge of guilt at enjoying the choral refrain that is so entirely phenomenal (until you remember it is exactly this type of refrain that was indigenous to the people and that they wanted to protect). The narrative takes some sad, poignant and devastating turns as war itself often does - yet that Eh Umbayo chant keeps everything centred, a message that when things go wrong in life (on whatever scale) it's vital to keep part of your true essence for yourself as you battle to preserve the things important to you. Kudos to the writers ( Nathan Cooper and Benjamin Todd) for such vivid and beautiful lyrics; and of course Kid Kasio for bringing them to life with such nuanced expression.

(Do take time to watch the wonderful visuals that go along with the song. The video was was self animated by Kid Kasio using the rotoscope animation technique and took a whopping two years. Now that's dedication to your art).

Top 25 songs of the week:

25 ~ Gary Barlow, Something About This Night
24 ~ Christopher, Tulips
23 ~ Take That, Hey Boy (NE)
22 ~ MKTO, Bad Girls
21 ~ Madonna, Joan of Arc
20 ~ Maroon 5, Feelings
19 ~ Will Young, Joy
18 ~ Olly Murs, Kiss Me
17 ~ MKTO, Afraid Of The Dark
16 ~ Jukebox The Ghost, Postcards
15 ~ Mans Zelmerlow, Should've Gone Home
14 ~ One Direction, Infinity (NE)
13 ~ Ben Haenow, Second Hand Heart (NE)
12 ~ Harriet, Love Will Burn
11 ~ Jukebox The Ghost, The Great Unknown
10 ~ Nate Ruess, A Great Big Storm
09 ~ Mika, Staring At The Sun
08 ~ Janet Jackson, Burn It Up
07 ~ MAX (ft Jared Evan), Ms. Anonymous
06 ~ Brandon Flowers, Still Want You
05 ~ Walk The Moon, Work This Body
04 ~ Shayne Ward, Moving Target
03 ~ Sara Bareilles, She Used To Be Mine
02 ~ Little Mix, Love Me Like You
01 ~ Big Black Delta ft Debbie Gibson, RCVR (4 weeks)