Meet Will Knox, an alt-folk troubadour whose lilting British accent comes from being born and bred in Hammersmith, London, but whose smart, labyrinthine lyrics were shaped by his subsequent, more far-flung journeys. At 18, Knox moved to Boston to pursue his music career, landing support slots for Art Garfunkel, Pete Francis (of Dispatch), and Tyrone Wells. While there he created his first EP, 2007’s Buckled Knees; its award-winning track “Never Letting Go” was featured in MTV’s College Life.
Now a New Yorker, Knox derives inspiration from the city that never sleeps for his debut album The Matador and the Acrobat, voted one of Shred News’ “Top Ten Albums of 2009.” The city has had a major effect on his writing style: Armed only with a pen and notebook, he’d ride the subway for hours, observing this new, rich, frenetic underground world—or as one Matador track describes it, the “Belly of the Beast.” The resulting visionary melodies, hooks, and intricate arrangements create a stunning world where the songs may hold shadow and darkness, but there’s always light at the end of the tunnel.
Lyrics
Im solid steel, In scolding steam Im a cog in the machine Im sick and tired of the same routine And Im sinking like a submarine
Stopping clockwork is much harder than it seems Im setting free, the cog in the machine
My belly boiled by a fiery heart, Im a Marxist on my march I hit it once with a hammer to its head tick tock this clock is dead
Stopping clockwork is much harder than it seems Im setting free, the cog in the machine
