"Here's what Drowned In Sound had to say about the Superkings track:
"Opening with Superkings’ ‘Hit The Ground Running’, ATP’s second compilation does exactly that - like a prime bit of Oasis balladry with Elvis Costello on lyrical duties, it transcends the odd trite chord change and winds up a sharply-written, affecting gem."
Drowned In Sound, July 2007
About the band
Superkings are an intricate, bitter-sweet piano-pop outfit, dealing in slow, darkly-melodic love songs as well as upbeat, jazz-imbued indie gems.
They have become live favourites in their respective hometowns playing prestigious support slots with Jeffrey Lewis, Okkervil River, Isobel Campbell, Great Lake Swimmers and Jim Noir.
They possess that rare ability to remain both somehow timeless, while still rooting their sound in the here and now. Superkings' lyrics are the result of an unholy union of a lacerated heart and a darkly humorous mind, lending fitting gravitas to a powerful, moving sound and some beautiful arrangements. Indeed, Little Hope, Hit The Ground Running and Good To Have You Home are already classics in their own world and deserve now to be heard by a wider audience.
For more information email us at info@feedback-records.co.uk or you can contact Will on 07950 476039.
To buy Superkings' records please go to www.feedback-records.co.uk
Reviews of Hit the Ground Running / Wolves and Ravens
"N: To start off I like a band who are able to use a piano arrangement to good effect and on 'Hit The Ground...' that's certainly the case. This is a song filled with great imagery, as is the case on 'Wolves...', albeit presented totally differently. Tone, you explain...
T: Some would call the lead track "morose", but it's full of sophisticated charm and is leftfield enough to make an immediate impact, whereas "Wolves and Ravens" has more of a carnival atmosphere about it, perhaps even stealing the female vocal from "Cotton Eyed Joe". This, despite sounding rather frightening, actually works perfectly. A great, great release.
N: The only questions that remain to be answered are: When are the Superkings going to release a full pack, will they be low or medium tar, and would they like to use the Atomicduster imprint?" 9/10
Atomicduster, July 2007.
""Wolves and Ravens," a song that sounds like Johnny Cash round housing Bob Dylan before beating up Dan Bern, and then bonding over their shared love of all things awesome."
God Is In The TV, July 2007.
"The most impressive thing... is the voice of Dave Wright. He might not have the most rock n roll name but boy can he sing. His vocals ooze Nick Cave, Stuart Staples, Tom Waits...sometimes all three at once.
Expect this band to get a pretty decent sized cult following if they can keep up to this level, the single is out now through Feedback Records."
The Beat Surrender, June 2007.
"This is the pick of the bunch here by far. 'Hit The Ground Running' is a slow-burning, radio-friendly monster with some amazingly poignant lyricism, epic piano and strings combinations. The more upbeat, tumbledown 'Wolves And Ravens' is a worthy accompaniment to counterpoint the melancholia."
New Noise, June 2007.
"Superkings, of the North-West, imaginably went through a few dusty suit jackets and bottles of Tesco red plonk in the writing of this one. Such is the moody clamber of ivories, gentle guitar and David Wright's weighty croon (probably whilst sat at said piano). It's a melancholy delight in the tradition of Fence Collective folk, or Sodastream's delicate wooing of the sombre moment.
'Wolves And Ravens' is an altogether darker affair, galloping on a dramatic early-Tindersticks tip and getting it pretty much spot on with the nefariously Nick Cave imagery behind the whine of the strings. It can't be said we often hear much of this round here.
Whilst probably neither as clever nor as truly, sincerely romantic as they like to think they are, Superkings have a wealth of opportunity to explore these things. 'Hit The Ground Running' is an otherwise lush debut ? daringly understated and slowly burning with a consummate charm."
High Voltage, June 2007
Other Reviews
"Another first class gem, one worthy of the CD price alone, is "Hit the Ground Running". This is as good track as you’re likely to hear all year. Seriously, it’s an absolute mini-epic, full of strong lyrical imagery and an amazing piano phrase that displays an undoubted class act with an expert grasp of mood creation through sympathetic and careful song-arrangement."
Lost At Sea, December 2006.
"If you simply enjoy proper songs, clever, thought-provoking lyrics, and interesting arrangements, then Superkings are certainly an outfit worth keeping an eye on. The expert mood-setting, subtle musical contrasts and ability to allow songs to live and breathe reveal Superkings as a class act and suggests they’re well worth catching live."
God Is In The TV Zine, December 2006.
Any band with pretensions of making it 'big' needs at least one killer track in its musical arsenal. You know the one, the track that jerks you from your sonic dogmatic slumber and makes you believe in the power of song again. It makes you say to yourself, "Now that is a blinding track" while sinking its aural hooks into you. Well, I heard one of those today. It happened when I played Secret Chiefs, a demo EP from a band called Superkings. The track's called Hit The Ground Running, an understated epic of a song, brim-full of imagery and allusion, a tale of ennui and yearning in a strange, seemingly perpetual and intense sexual relationship. This band is a definite 'one-to-watch' for 2007.
Diskant.net, December 2006.
"The band exuded gravitas, with poetic, intelligent lyrics laced around complex, thoughtful, soul-stirring arrangements… the lead singer delivered lyrical gems with a passion and poise in a deep baritone, richly northern voice, reminiscent of Nick Cave… he effortlessly [steered] songs just the right side of melodrama, racking up the tension as the band drew us into their world of drink, drugs and dysfunctional relationships."
Drowned In Sound, November 2006.
"Little Hope is an unassuming, thought-provoking demo that relies on a simplistic, raw emotion with simple yet beautiful instrumental arrangements as a backdrop that is more powerful than grand anthemic choruses and ostentatious over-compensating instrumental arrangements. Already sounding like a quiet classic, Superkings are a wonderfully talented band, deserving to be heard by many more."Heathen Angel (demo of the week), November, 2006
"This is a band with a myriad of moods, splashed, daubed and stroked across a wide musical canvass. Mini-tragedies come alive within the intense, playful, and intriguing vignettes delivered through the warm, honest northern tones of the unassuming, yet charismatic lead singer… Add to this the crucial fact that they have some fantastic songs with beautifully constructed arrangements and immediate, clever, melodies, and you have a band that has the potential to go a long way. Definitely one to watch."
Penny Black Music, November 2006.
"Clever, romantic, and quite simply beautiful, Secret Chiefs displays the talent and originality of a band we should be hearing more of".
High Voltage (demo of the month), August 2006.
"Beautiful pianos and tear jerking melodies are the order of the day from Superkings. Superkings fit somewhere between Bright Eyes and Nick Cave. More euphoric than the later, more melancholy than the former. This record is sad, sweet and melodic, miserable yet uplifting".
www.leedsmusicscene.net, October 2006.
"With suitably melancholy lyrics... frontman David Wright voices his inner bitterness... at the same time proving his skill as a musician when performing the extravagant keyboard parts."
www.glasswerk.co.uk
