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Kaki King's debut is a wonderfully expressive and diverse little solo guitar record. After hearing Everybody Loves You, it's clear just how much of a virtuosic talent she is as she often incorporates the percussive striking of her instrument and two handed tapping techniques; techniques that Andy McKee's Drifting would end up introducing and astounding viral audiences three years later. King demonstrates that the guitar has limitless possibilities right off the bat with Kewpie Station. King thumps the bass strings while her other hand is pulling double duty, slapping the side of her guitar and tapping out melodies on the fretboard. She performs these actions all while resting her palm on the bridge of the guitar to control the volume and brightness of her instrument. These techniques come fast and furious on the track Close Your Eyes & You'll Burst Into Flames, creating a fairly intense experience. The percussive elements are very aggressive, the two-handed tapping is dizzying, and the strumming is particularly heavy handed.
King is more than just a novelty though, unbeknownst to those only familiar with some of her more popular songs and media appearances. In fact, King is quite versatile in her compositional style. Night After Sidewalk and Exhibition are quite calm, sparse, and floaty, and I particularly love the way those heavy bass notes ring out on the latter. The first half of Fortuna transports us to an arid desert climate, and after a stretch of silence, goes into a childlike lullaby. The title track has one angular melody after another, impressively executed with a great deal of finesse, and Steamed Little Juicy Bun exhibits King's smooth jazz swagger.
Only two moments on the record were a little underwhelming to me. The first was Happy As a Dead Pig In the Sunshine which I acknowledge is a bit of a jam, but doesn't really grab me with its melodies or rhythms. And then there's Joi which sounds like a freeform improvisational piece, and as a result, comes across a little directionless. Other than that though, this record has just about everything you could want in a solo guitar record: standout compositions that satiate on both an experimental and traditional level, a wide variety of vibes that keep the listening experience from growing stale, and performances that dynamically range between melodically soothing and aggressively intense.