Against All Odds – aKING
Against All Odds – aKING (Don’t bet against this one)
Against All Odds by aKING
No, this is not a cover of the Phil Collins song from the movie of the same name, rather it is a melodic, solid rock song with neat guitar work, tight drumming and a heartfelt vocal delivery. When Fokofpolisiekar did as it was told, Hunter Kennedy and Jaco Venter were aching (did you see what I did there?) to make music under a different guise, so they formed aKING and have made a success of it.
It might just be me, but is there a resemblance between the opening guitar riff of Against All Odds and Baxtop’s JoBangles. If you took the funk out of the guitar intro to JoBangles and made it rock, you’ll see what I mean. Not that I’m saying Baxtop should be calling their lawyers, we don’t need another ‘Kookaburra’ vs ‘Down Under’ here.
Part of the video for the song (see below) was shot in one of my favourite record shops, Mabu Vinyl in Cape Town, but be warned, it does open up with a guy dancing around in his underpants. Perhaps that’s one of the ‘odds’ you’re up against, for it is very odd. But as distracting (and disconcerting) as it is, don’t let it deter you from the strength of the song.
Where to find it:
Against All Odds – aKING (2009), Rhythm Records, RR100
Lyrics:
curious and cautious
in a stagger on my heart’s track
how vast the world was
by the lights of lime we gather
inflamed like moths to a fire
nauseous like lovers
tripping on the heart’s trap
the gullible uncovered
a faint radiance
two dullards finding their colour
against all odds
caught between a curve and a soft spot
against all odds
unraveled in each other’s arms
awkward
in a state of undress
how shy it was to touch
uneven out the evening
discreetly mocking the morning
struck by the moon I threw myself over
the night has a rainbow mutely hovering
weightless under covers
slip into the heart’s lap
zealously juvenile
an old-fashioned raucous promise
nestles beneath the bravado
Video:
1001 South African Songs You Must Hear Before You Go Deaf 