Kele ‘The Boxer’ // First Listen

Kele
‘The Boxer’
(Wichita) // First Listen

In 2005, Bloc Party released their debut album ‘Silent Alarm’ and a new brand of dark and esoteric indie music erupted into the UK’s ears. Three albums later and their frontman Kele Okereke, who now bills himself simply as Kele, has broken away from the pack to produce his debut solo album ‘The Boxer’. Working with Spank Rock’s XXXChange and Hudson Mohawke to create a definite departure from angular indie into euphoric and heart palpitating dance music, Kele’s first album is a grand rebirth into the music scene.

‘Walk Tall’
The sound of thunderous pounding is met with the playground repetition of “I don’t know what you’ve been told” sung by a mischievous Kele. There’s a definite Spank Rock influence to the electronic sounds of this song, grizzly, grimy synths ripple through your eardrums as Kele’s voice slithers in and out of a terrifying maze of menacing sounds. The playground chants persist, entwined with haunting echoes fused with an almost Pendulum-like pace and electronic drive. The song ends, our ears exhausted, with the chiming of the mantra-esque playground chants.

‘On The Lam’
From the off, this track sounds like a pure garage song; a vast departure from anything we’ve heard the singer approach before. Next, Kele’s now female-sounding voice resounds over bouncy beats and a flamboyant, joyous melody; heck, it could almost be Cheryl Cole! Suddenly Kele’s booking as an Ibiza Rocks headliner makes much more sense…

‘Tenderoni’
A nervous, claustrophobic feel envelops itself around the incessant synths; a sound pinched from Bodyrox’s ubiquitous hit ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah’, perhaps? Solemn, sexy, breathless vocals whisper throughout this crunchy, classic dance track, with a single sheen glazed all over it. Building into a throbbing climax, halting momentarily before kicking back into a massive moment of club euphoria; ‘Tenderoni’ is a vital summer hit.

‘The Other Side’
At last, a guitar! A cranking strum, with an INXS-meets-Prince funk tinge, drives the first half of ‘The Other Side’ before distorted vocals eerily chime in. Then a bright synth spark dances across the melody with jaunty hiccupping vocals. The song is tangled beautifully in a range of influences showing the breadth of Kele’s ambitions, combined with the trapped and anxiety laden lyrics “It’s driving me insane”.

‘Everything You Wanted’
Kele’s voice has now regained its familiar Bloc Party timbre, with the lyrics “I could have given you everything you wanted/Everything you needed”. Compared to the previous euphoria and joyous dance sounds, ‘Everything You Wanted’ evolves into an almost Jack Penate or Maccabees-sounding anthemic indie chorus. With a bizarre combination of Africana chants and anthemic sing-along moments, ‘Everything You Wanted’ is shrouded in bolder, braver influences.

‘The New Rules’
With plucking guitars and the sounds of birds tweeting, ‘The New Rules’ begins with a subtle sounding edge, before a phone sound whirrs. Then the dainty, jaunty strings envelop some female vocals, and the whole thing is overtaken by ethereal spirals and a miasma of delicate acoustic sounds.

‘Unholy Thoughts’
Full of buoyant, joyous melodies and a cathartic chorus, ‘Unholy Thoughts’ shares Bloc Party‘s sensibilities but with an injection of lightness and optimism. Gone are the dark and brooding moments of abrasive electronics and playful vocals, replaced by unrelenting guitars tumbling over and over, showing a more approachable and tender side to the album.

‘Rise’
Lullaby-like vocals usher in a massive, elated, house-music-style chorus, armed with super-positive words of club encouragement such as “You are stronger than you think”, “Up to the light/Brothers and sisters unite”. An old-school house singer bolshily takes over vocal duties, singing “I’ll take you over”, before the song turns into vaguely Daft Punk-esque, edgier territory. Fades out with glistening keys, finishing on an absolute high.

‘All The Things I Could Never Say’
Yearning vocals latch onto the heart-broken lyrics “Where did you stay last night?/You didn’t come home”. Kele’s vocals come to the forefront of the song for the first time on the album, with brutally honest lyrics about a significant other: “You’re making me ill”. Devastatingly beautiful.

‘Yesterday’s Gone’
Following on from the overwhelming sadness of ‘All The Things I Could Never Say’, the glorious epiphany of ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ ends the album. Kele sings “Open up the windows” with a euphoric force, joined by female vocals chiming “ohh ohhhh”. Despite the claustrophobic repetition of words, moments of brightness dispel any dark barriers, with a gospel choir sending the song onto a higher level of rapture. ‘Yesterday’s Gone’ is the perfect way to end an album that marks the emancipation of a truly awesome solo artist.