Amidst interestingly-timed rumours that he’s been ousted from Bloc Party, Kele Okereke releases new visuals from his upcoming EP, The Hunter.
The production has the electro-dubstep blend that characterised his slightly disappointing debut solo album, though its utilised much more effectively here with atmospheric synths and energetic bass pulses creating a paradoxical style that blends ambience with intensity, and successfully so. The vocals are enjoyable from both artists, as Lucy Taylor dominates proceedings throughout the track with some very smooth deliveries, with Kele confined to sharing the hook. Interesting strategy, but it makes for an enjoyable song that could see some mainstream success by virtue of having a friendly, accessible female vocal lead.
Visuals are simple enough, focusing on one character at a time, with that role played by Kele, Lucy and various dancers throughout. Nothing that particularly enhances the audio at all, but its an easy watch and the simplicity of it helps to soften the relatively complex nature of the audio. The Hunter EP is released on 7th November.
From an upcoming EP by Kele (which I believe is also called On The Lam), this remix is significantly better than the somewhat underwhelming original found on The Boxer.
I wasn’t a big fan of the drum-and-bass/heavy electro style of the original, and it’s been correctly toned down in this remix in favour of clearer, more incisive rhythms that give it a house feel. With the unusual vocal effects employed in the track, this new production feels much more suited to the high-pitched delivery and hence has a rounded and ‘complete’ feel due to the new-found synergy between the production and vocals. A solid all-round dance/house track.
Feast your eyes on this, the first of many weekly ‘back-lookings’ at the various Kings and Queens of the Indie genre.
This week, it’s Bloc Party. Cast your eyes left and enjoy the video to Banquet; single off their debut album Silent Alarm, or below to une-petit bio of the band themselves….
Kele’s hugely anticipated album got off to an awesome start with Tenderoni. Two new streams were recently made available. The first, Rise, has a real Bloc Party feel to it, at least up until 3/4 where it switches up. It’s a decent track all-round, with a nice positive feel.
Walk Tall is much more dub/electro driven, which isn’t really my lane. They’re both very different from Tenderoni, and each other, and should both be checked out as at least one will appeal to your taste.
Minimalistic lighting, captivating choreography and the introduction to ‘The Boxer‘ make for one of the most compelling videos I’ve seen in some time. There’s a richness in its simplicity that makes this incredibly replayable, and enhances the actual song immeasurably.
Really like the effects they’ve used throughout, especially the top-down and close-up camera angles on Kele’s fists/chalk, which are superb creative visuals.
Having checked out the preview I certainly enjoyed the song, but these visuals have got me eagerly anticipating that June 14th release date.
If the latest gig review got you in the mood for seeing some live acts yourself over the summer; we’ve posted a couple of links below to take you to the right place to get tickets to see all of the ‘bands of the moment’ in the alternative music scene.
Tickets for Kele Okereke’s host of upcoming live performances go on sale on the 7th of May, and given the hype surrounding the impending release of The Boxer competition for tickets will be high! Get up early on the 7th (tickets go on sale at 9:00 AM) and be among the first to enjoy Kele’s appearances as a solo artist. Click here to go direct to the booking page.
Also, check out the other upcoming live tours from bands such as, Crystal Castles, We Have band, and Sarah Blasko (currently supporting The Temper Trap) by click on the link.
The Boxer, the debut solo album from Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke, is something which myself and many other eager listeners already tout as one of the most anticipated albums of the year, reaching playlists everywhere on the 21st June. So, as you’d expect, I was pretty pumped when I saw that Tenderoni, the first single from the upcoming album had been leaked onto the net today, and, listening to it for the first time, it did not disappoint.
The curiosity that surrounds The Boxer is due largely to Kele’s dynamic musical style, making it difficult to think of exactly what genre his solo work might fit into. The only clue would be to look at the transition of styles through the three existing Bloc Party albums, moving from Silent Alarm‘sraw almost punk-like rock, to the deep electronic beats sometimes characteristic of Dubstep, in Intimacy.
Tenderoni itself is an atmospheric, pacey amalgam of the trance, electronica and indie electro styles, laced with the typically edgy vocals we’re used to from him. The name of the song itself, deceptively not a cut of Italian meat, but urban slang for ‘young pretty thing’, in itself highly indicative the dark urban vista that this awesome artist creates with his eclectic sound. Cast your cursors below to hear the track in its entirety.
Seeing as this is my first post on OTU, I believe a look at times ahead for indie is in order! Times of veritable excitement these are too, so exciting in fact that I literally had a crisis when I saw the just who was releasing music in the summertime. In anticipation of this, here are the three albums that I expect to dominate playlists over the coming months…..
Something a little different for you here, but very enjoyable. Fans of Bloc Party will be familiar with Kele, and here we’ve got something pretty decent with him and Tiesto. This actually leaked a little while back, but I’ve only just come across it.
It’s a very Bloc Party-esque production, and hence doesn’t really pull Kele too far out of his comfort zone. It’s a really likeable track, and has similarities to some of Bloc Party’s earlier (and better) material. For someone like Tiesto, it’s not too ‘trancey’ at all, which is something I’m certainly happy about. It’s got that mix between being uptempo and quite sombre at the same time which is hard to pull off, but when done correctly, as it is here, it sounds great.
A very good collaboration here, and definitely worth picking up for fans of any genre.
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