King Of Sad Times

the genius of Kaki King's music

One of the few constants - and that’s almost rare - of my life in the last about 9-10 years has been the listening sessions that a dear friend, music journalist, all-round really good human, Anurag Tagat, and I have hosted for each other either at his home or mine. The frequency has dropped but the act and joy of it remain. It’s helped us to not only discover music but also to articulate our thoughts on listened music better. Fairly early in these exchanges, he introduced me to the music of Kaki King.

Every guitarist that I’ve listened to has made me want to pick up that instrument and learn to play it. That I have got nowhere with it is entirely on me and no reflection on their ability to inspire. I say every guitarist but King is an exception. When I listen to her, I don’t feel the need to make music. Because when I listen to her, I’m completely cloaked in and infused with the music. Sated, how could I ask for more?

She recently released an EP of four songs, ‘Infinite Ache’. There’s something from growing up with Carnatic and Hindustani classical music that has stayed with me; that every musical instrument is created with the human voice as reference and the sound of the instrument is to approximate at least in some part human singing. This is perhaps more true of string and wind instruments. Kaki King cajoles a rare range of not only sound but of emotion from her guitar, not just emulating the human voice but extending it to a sublime level. I feel awed not by her humongous technical virtuosity alone but much more by her ability to move one deeply. Therein lies her particular genius; in making the music and all that it conveys paramount. That’s something that many other musicians of this level of prodigious talent and proficiency don’t do. With her, you are drawn in first and foremost by the music and then as you listen more, and only then, do you wonder how the bloody fuck is she doing that?!?

The brightness of the opener on this EP, “Collections”, evokes all that is cheery. But you gradually notice the low hum underlying the shimmering cascade of notes. A game face trying to cover up a quiet but deep grief. It is a theme that runs through all four songs albeit in different forms and tone. On “It Doesn’t Always Work Out” there’s a distinctive extended note of near-dissonance that appears at intervals to punctuate the solemn calmness to lend credence to the song title. “Nails” could have been a screamer but it chooses to be a subtle expression of discomfort and insecurity set up by that deep exhalation at the beginning. “The Pain Is Gone But The Scar Remains” is the song of a road warrior who has travelled long, seen and heard much, and felt even more. Where I find myself in my own life, this is the song for me. I could go out listening to this; then I could go in peace.

All of what I’ve felt about these songs is of course interpretive. You will likely feel differently and that feeling might shift subtly the more you listen. Great art does that. Kaki King has talked of the the songs on ‘Infinite Ache’ as sad songs for happy people almost as if she’s gently nudging such people to broaden their range of emotions. But the sadness she mentions is not overt and does not engulf you when you listen. It is, instead, subtle and slowly seeps into you. Subversive and beautifully so.

Listening to her music will make your life a little richer. If you really like it, please explore more of it and buy the music which you can find on Bandcamp. There’s much that goes into creating art and while one can never place a fixed value to the art itself, there is a cost involved in its physical creation. You can find this EP and her other releases on streaming platforms too if that’s your preference: Qobuz, Apple Music, and others.

I wrote a little verse as a poor companion to “The Pain Is Gone But The Scar Remains” which competes with Samwise Gamgee’s ode to Gandalf in The Lord Of The Rings for incompetence and well-meant sincerity.

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on failed knees, bent and alone

whip-flick, flailed to the bone

cannot keep faith

nor sing amazing grace

anguished howl whimpers to a fade

years go on

time set to a dulling drone

the pain is gone

but the scar stays

to remind of passed days

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