Video chronicles Kaki King in the studio

Writing in the world of film and television may have ground to a screeching halt two months ago when the Writers Guild of America declared itself on strike, but songwriters across the nation are strumming their guitars and putting pen to paper as usual.

Guitarist and songwriter Kaki King is no exception. A new video posted on Stereogum chronicles the 28-year-old’s latest studio session with producer Malcolm Burn, giving viewers a rare look at the surprisingly un-glamorous process of writing songs for her fourth album Dreaming of Revenge, slated for release March 4.

King won accolades for her recent collaboration with Eddie Vedder on the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s film Into the Wild, including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Score. She also dueted with Foo Fighters’ frontman Dave Grohl last year on his band’s album, Echoes, Silence, Patience & Grace, and contributed to Tegan and Sara’s The Con.

During the studio session, King is shown working on the lyrics for the new song “Life Being What It Is.” Despite her inspired guitar playing and past songwriting experience, writing lyrics appears to be challenging for her on both a technical and personal level. She talks about the difficulty of finding the perfect rhyme to express her most intimate feelings and the discomfort she feels sharing them with the world. “This record just feels so different and poppy,” she says. “It’s dark… some of the lyrics are far more personal than anything I’ve ever written.”

Related links:
KakiKing.com
IntoTheWild.com
Kaki King on MySpace

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