The Ooz

The Ooz (stylised as The OOZ) is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Archy Marshall, and his second album under the stage name King Krule. It was released on 13 October 2017 via True Panther Sounds and XL Recordings. The album incorporates elements of trip hop, R&B, punk rock, and jazz.[2]

The Ooz
Studio album by King Krule
Released	13 October 2017
Genre	Jazz-rock garage rock[1] post punk trip hop punk rock dub[2]
Length	66:14
Label	True Panther XL
Producer	Dilip Harris Archy Marshall
King Krule chronology
A New Place 2 Drown (2015) The Ooz (2017) Man Alive! (2020)
Singles from The Ooz
"Czech One" Released: 23 August 2017 "Dum Surfer" Released: 14 September 2017 "Half Man Half Shark" Released: 4 October 2017

Background

"Czech One" was released in August 2017 as the first King Krule song in four years.[3] Archy Marshall subsequently announced the release of The Ooz in September 2017, with its title and release date being first reported in The New York Times' fall preview guide.[4][5] The album is Marshall's first studio album as King Krule since 2013's 6 Feet Beneath the Moon.[6]

Reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
AnyDecentMusic?	7.7/10[7]
Metacritic	80/100[8]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[9]
The A.V. Club	B−[10]
Consequence of Sound	B+[11]
The Guardian	[1]
The Irish Times	[12]
NME	[13]
Pitchfork	9.0/10[2]
Q	[14]
The Times	[15]
Uncut	8/10[16]

At Metacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, The Ooz received an average score of 80, based on 21 reviews, indicating "generally positive reviews".[8] In a review for AllMusic, Andy Kellman compared the album to its predecessor stating that "the songwriting is more refined and the sounds are more disparate, resulting in a sort of controlled chaos, a scuzzy mix of nervy neo-rockabilly projectiles, howling dirges, and noodling dive-lounge tunes."[9] Pitchfork gave The Ooz their "Best New Music" designation, with Jayson Greene complimenting the diversity of musical styles used on the album, as well as the distinctive sounds and textures. He wrote that the album "is the richest and most immersive album the London singer-songwriter has made yet" and that it is "a masterpiece of jaundiced vision from one of the most compelling artists alive."[2] Alexis Petridis of The Guardian was more ambivalent, acknowledging the diverse musical styles while also considering the album to be "frustrating" and "a difficult listen." Though he recommends the album, Petridis considers the album's length to be a detraction, writing, "But self-indulgence is also its biggest drawback...The Ooz lasts more than an hour and virtually every track is allowed to ramble on for longer than it needs to."[1] It was nominated for the 2018 Mercury Prize[17]

Accolades

Publication	Accolade	Rank	Ref.
Billboard	Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks	45	[18]
Clash	Clash Albums of the Year 2017	8	[19]
Consequence of Sound	Top 50 Albums of 2017	31	[20]
Dazed	The 20 best albums of 2017	9	[21]
Drowned in Sound	Favourite Albums of 2017	87	[22]
Les InRocks	Best Albums of 2017	2	[23]
The Guardian	The Best Albums of 2017	22	[24]
The Independent	30 Best Albums of 2017	12	[25]
New York Daily News	The 25 Best Albums of 2017	8	[26]
NME	NME's Albums of the Year 2017	16	[27]
Pigeons and Planes	Best Albums of 2017	13	[28]
Pitchfork	The 50 Best Albums of 2017	3	[29]
Pitchfork	The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2017	1	[30]
Pitchfork	The 200 Best Albums of the 2010s	60	[31]
Spin	50 Best Albums of 2017	28	[32]
Vice	The 100 Best Albums of 2017	3	[33]

Track listing

All tracks are written by Archy Marshall, except "Slush Puppy", which features lyrics by Marshall and Kaya Wilkins.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Biscuit Town"	3:42
2.	"The Locomotive"	2:51
3.	"Dum Surfer"	4:23
4.	"Slush Puppy"	2:42
5.	"Bermondsey Bosom (Left)"	1:14
6.	"Logos"	3:50
7.	"Sublunary"	2:10
8.	"Lonely Blue"	4:44
9.	"Cadet Limbo"	4:52
10.	"Emergency Blimp"	2:54
11.	"Czech One"	4:15
12.	"A Slide In (New Drugs)"	3:05
13.	"Vidual"	2:19
14.	"Bermondsey Bosom (Right)"	1:05
15.	"Half Man Half Shark"	5:02
16.	"The Cadet Leaps"	4:21
17.	"The OOZ"	4:35
18.	"Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver)"	3:53
19.	"La Lune"	4:17
Total length:		66:14

Notes

• "Midnight 01 (Deep Sea Diver)" contains a sample from "Temptation Sensation", written by Heinz Kiessling.

Personnel

Musicians

• King Krule – vocals, guitar, bass, drums, keys, vocoder
• Dilip Harris – triangle, percussion, vibraphone, synth, marimba
• James Wilson – bass
• George Bass – drums
• Ignacio Salvadores – saxophone
• Jack Towell – guitar
• Andy Ramsay – drum programming, percussion
• Marc Pell – bongos, tambourine
• Nana Giobbi – piano
• Okay Kaya – additional vocals (track 4)
• Beatriz Ortiz Mendes – spoken word (track 5)
• Idris Vicuña – spoken word (track 16)
• Maya Coline – backing vocals (tracks 11, 17)
• Ella Rimmer – backing vocals (track 11)
• Adam Marshall – spoken word (track 14), backing vocals (track 15)
• Maria Dmetriev – spoken word (track 18)

Production

• Dilip Harris – co-production, mixing, engineering
• Archy Marshall – co-production, engineering
• Andy Ramsay – engineering
• Senor El Funkelinos – engineering
• Connor Atanda – engineering
• Barry Grint – mastering

Charts

Chart (2017)	Peak position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[34]	51
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[35]	63
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[36]	81
French Albums (SNEP)[37]	95
Irish Albums (IRMA)[38]	60
New Zealand Heatseeker Albums (RMNZ)[39]	2
Portuguese Albums (AFP)[40]	45
Scottish Albums (OCC)[41]	68
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[42]	58
UK Albums (OCC)[43]	23
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[44]	4
US Billboard 200[45]	114
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[46]	13
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard)[47]	14
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard)[48]	18

References

1. Petridis, Alexis (12 October 2017). "King Krule: The Ooz review – a self-indulgent splurge". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
2. Greene, Jayson (13 October 2017). "King Krule: The OOZ". Pitchfork. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
3. Pearis, Bill (7 September 2017). "King Krule releasing new LP 'The Ooz' in October". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
4. Darville, Jordan (8 September 2017). "King Krule Shares New Album Title And Release Date". The Fader. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
5. "Pop and Jazz Fall Preview: 66 Albums, Shows and Festivals". The New York Times. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 2 December 2018.
6. Freed, Nick (9 September 2017). "King Krule announce new album The Ooz, due out in October". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 11 September 2017.
7. "The OOZ by King Krule reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 27 August 2019.
8. "Reviews and Tracks for The Ooz by King Krule". Metacritic. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
9. Kellman, Andy. "The Ooz – King Krule". AllMusic. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
10. Gerardi, Matt (13 October 2017). "King Krule, The Ooz". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 13 October 2017.
11. Clark, Tyler (9 October 2017). "King Krule – The Ooz". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 14 October 2017.
12. Van Nguyen, Dean (13 October 2017). "King Krule – The OOZ album review: as classically cool as a round-neck tee". The Irish Times. Retrieved 7 November 2017.
13. Homewood, Ben (11 October 2017). "King Krule – 'The Ooz' Review". NME. Retrieved 18 October 2017.
14. Davies, Hannah J. (December 2017). "Lord of the Manor". Q (379): 103.
15. Hodgkinson, Will (13 October 2017). "Pop review: King Krule: The OOZ". The Times. Retrieved 15 January 2018.
16. Richards, Sam (November 2017). "King Krule: The Ooz". Uncut (246): 30.
17. "Mercury prize 2018: Noel Gallagher, Florence and Arctic Monkeys shortlisted". The Guardian. 26 July 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
18. "Billboard's 50 Best Albums of 2017: Critics' Picks". Billboard. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
19. "Clash Albums of the Year 2017". Clash. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
20. "Top 50 Albums of 2017". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
21. Alemoru, Kemi; Bulut, Selim; Cafolla, Anna; Denney, Alex; Geffen, Sasha; Gorton, Thomas; Joshi, Tara; Russell, Erica (13 December 2017). "The 20 best albums of 2017". Dazed. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
22. "Drowned in Sound's Favourite Albums of 2017". Drowned in Sound. 22 November 2017. Retrieved 23 November 2017.
23. "Best albums of 2017". les inrocks. 19 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
24. "The best albums of 2017: the full list". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
25. "30 Best Albums of 2017". The Independent. 27 November 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
26. "The 25 Best Albums of 2017". Daily News. New York. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
27. "NME's Albums of the Year 2017". NME. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 28 November 2017.
28. Moore, Jacob. "Best Albums of 2017". Pigeons and Planes. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
29. "The 50 Best Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
30. "The 20 Best Rock Albums of 2017". Pitchfork. 13 December 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2020.
31. "The Best Albums of the 2010s". Pitchfork. 8 October 2019. Retrieved 9 October 2019.
32. "50 Best Albums of 2017". Spin. 18 December 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
33. "The 100 Best Albums of 2017". Vice. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
34. "ARIA Chart Watch #443". auspOp. 21 October 2017. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
35. "Ultratop.be – King Krule – The Ooz" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
36. "Ultratop.be – King Krule – The Ooz" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
37. "Lescharts.com – King Krule – The Ooz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
38. "Irish-charts.com – Discography King Krule". Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
39. "NZ Heatseekers Albums Chart". Recorded Music NZ. 23 October 2017. Retrieved 20 October 2017.
40. "Portuguesecharts.com – King Krule – The Ooz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 4 November 2017.
41. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
42. "Swisscharts.com – King Krule – The Ooz". Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2017.
43. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
44. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 21 October 2017.
45. "King Krule Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
46. "King Krule Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 24 October 2017.
47. "King Krule Chart History (Top Alternative Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2018.
48. "King Krule Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 1 December 2018.