Kele - "The Flames, pt 2"
Great guitarist backstabbed by drum machine
Kele Okereke is the vocalist and rhythm guitarist for Bloc Party. That’s how he rose to fame. But he’s been releasing solo albums since 2010, and this is his sixth such effort. Further, “The Flames pt 2” is a followup, of sorts, to his 2021 album, “The Waves pt 1”.
He is, first and foremost, an indie rock artist. Sources have credited him with elements of Post-Punk Revival, Post-Britpop, Art Punk, and Alt Rock, among others. I can maybe see the Art Punk here. But this album really feels like its own beast.
There are only three elements at play in this album (all 12 tracks, spanning 40 minutes total): Kele’s vocals, his guitar, and a drum machine. It’s incredibly minimalistic.
And it *almost* works. It gets so close at points. The melodies are disjointed and strange, the lyrics are solid and unique. And it almost works.
Let me start with what does work. The guitar-work is absolutely spot-on. It’s moody and grungy, funky and sleazy, grating and discordant. Above all else, the guitar sets the mood, establishes a solid bassline and atmosphere, and just slaps - in every track. Even the ‘meh’ tracks.
What doesn’t work? The drum machine. Dear God. If he wanted to impose these artistic limitations, fine. But this would be so much better with EITHER an actual drum OR if he recorded a separate percussion/rhythm line with the guitar/slapping the guitar, as many acoustic guitarists do. But the drum machine just doesn’t mesh well, and several of the tracks have beats that just…don’t work. Not for me, anyhow.
The lyrics are a mixed bag. They can be incredibly strong or incredibly repetitive. With very little in-between.
And Kele’s vocals are good, but not strong enough to add to the guitar’s weight and save about half of the tracks. This one’s Orange. There are a couple of worthwhile songs here, but it’s not something I’m looking to recommend to anybody anytime soon. I know I’ve heard at least one song from him that I really enjoyed, so I’m still going to check out his older discography.
Rating: Orange