With the announcement of Bloc Party frontman’s solo LP album to depute in August 2010, questions arose from fans if they would be hearing an offspring of the progressive Bloc Party sound that they had become accustom to in the past five years.
To much dismay...The Boxer is anything but that.
Kele Okereke has put his own mark in the world of electronic pop albums with The Boxer. Not only is it an album that showcases some great dance tracks but also has the ability to be listened to in leisure. The Liverpoolian returned to the music scene sporting just his first name, Kele. It is very much apparent that influences aren’t flowing from the praised album Silent Alarm however it is unmistakable that you are in fact listening to one fifth of Bloc Party. Throughout the entire album you hear what he is best known for, writing music that you can’t help but to dance to and moving into heartfelt slower ballads.
With the first track on the album, Walk Tall, the declared hiatus of Bloc Party seems to set the entire mood for this track. The lyrics leading up to the beginning are more of a chant or rallying call...“I don’t know what you’ve been told” repeated. Then “Rule number three. Forget where you’ve been. Cut your ties to the past and wave it goodbye.” hold the meat of the message of this track. Kele is making it crystal clear that he is here to make a name for himself.
For fans of the acclaimed Silent Alarm, the only track on The Boxer that will resemble any what the same sound is going to be Unholy Thoughts. From the intro to the bridge, this could very much have been a single that would have appeared as a bonus track for the album that deputed in 2005.
This isn’t a rerun but yet a rebirth of the Bloc Party frontman’s vision that many thought they had seen before. This album is Kele...not Bloc Party. Remember that during your first listen then follow that by many other as well. Kele is bringing the same subjects and themes to the table as before yet making a mark all his own.
I enjoyed reading this review for the same reason you enjoyed listening to this album. You take such an active voice in paragraph 4. The use of lyrics is really well placed and you chose a good lyric to quote as well as explain. I also like that you show some authority on the subject of Bloc Party and Kele, it makes me, the reader, trust your opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou really show that you've done your research on Bloc Party as well as Kele. You've taken it to the level that your readers can understand just what you're talking about.
ReplyDeleteI think its great that you're letting potential listeners know exactly what they're getting into when they listen to the album. Also the way you caught that quote from the album and related to Kele's career was really good, it made me trust that you knew what you were talking about.
ReplyDeleteI like that you let the listeners know how different this album is from his previous work, but I think you may have mentioned that idea a little to frequently. Otherwise, I like the article and now I wanna check out this album.
ReplyDeleteI don't know whether or not you're giving praise to the album or not. The second half seems to be like you enjoyed the album, but with the line "To much dismay...The Boxer is anything but that" -- it's almost as if you are bashing the album for being different than the predecessors of work. Other than that it pinpoints the music style well and makes me at least want to check out the artist.
ReplyDeleteI think that since you have made a strong comparison between Kele and Bloc Party that your review helps me understand the differences between the two styles of music, although if I was unaware of Bloc Party's style I would not be so sure. Great Review and awesome line, "This album is Kele...not Bloc Party"
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