KELE OKEREKE
The Hunter EP
[Wichita]
Noel Gallagher of Oasis once famously described Bloc Party as "a band off of University Challenge". While he was trying to be disparaging, he was actually bang on - and Kele Okereke, the on/off frontman for the accused, did little to disprove that statement with his debut solo album, The Boxer (2010). His new, 7-track EP, The Hunter, continues in a similar, brainy vein. Yes, this is electronic indie-pop music, sure, but there's thought and heart in every groove. Again working with album producer XXXChange (Spank Rock, The Kills), Kele has crafted a diverse collection of tracks, with his keening vocals the common thread. Opener What Did I Do (featuring Lucy Taylor on vocals) sits comfortably alongside the pop-dubstep of Katy B, while Devotion blends New Order with Vangelis by way of Magnetic Man. Love As A Weapon begins with a glitch-laden, bubbling beat with gives way to a mesh of swelling samples and layered pianos, and closer You Belong To Someone Else sounds like an Eastern European accordian festival being raided by rave horns and fat bass drops. And Kele's retort to Gallagher? "They've made stupidity hip." No danger of that here, as The Hunter keeps listeners on their toes throughout.
3 and 1/2 stars from 5
Yeah, I know it's his official site, but it's the best place to check out his new EP. And hilariously dramatic/dramatically hilarious cover art.
Originally appeared in Waikato Times
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