Kele - The Hunter Review

Ok, I’ll be the first to admit that House and Dance music isn’t my speciality. I really like Daft Punk, I think Example’s ok and I have fond memories of being constantly inhibited when Love is Gone by David Guetta used to be the backing track to a Friday night out.

But that’s where my knowledge ends. Oh sure, I usually roll my eyes when musicians who have spent years crafting their work with guitars, suddenly turn their attentions to the dancefloor with normally disastrous results.

I do however, due to his past (and now current) association with Bloc Party, own and like Kele Okereke’s debut album The Boxer. It was a semi-decent if well trodden solo effort which upped the dance influences from Bloc Party’s last album Intimacy but still kept the same themes that made Bloc Party enduring and likable.

With Bloc Party announcing it’s hiatus concluded; The Hunter is Kele latest (and possibly last) solo release. An EP of material recorded after his solo debut, it’s an interesting collection of ideas that, in my honest opinion, is superior and far, far, more interesting than what was presented on The Boxer.

The key difference between the two is, where The Boxer was heavily influenced by House music; The Hunter's more of a foray into dubstep, big beats, synthpop and at times, more than a passing resemblance to previous Bloc Party tracks.

Opening number What Did I Do is a wonderful transitional piece between the two releases, with lovely vocals from Lucy Taylor, an addictive, thick bassline and, much like Tenderoni, sounds familiar with particular samples but different enough to not invoke plagiarism claims (ala Coldplay).

Follow up track Release Me has a Caribbean, party anthem drum beat, a squeaky synth and anthemic vocals which makes it sound like Flux on speed. There’s more nods to Bloc Party throughout the record; Cable’s Goodbye is like a dubstep interpretation of Blue Light whilst Devotion is dark, encompassing, dramatic and has more than a few nods to Signs (the original, not the single remix with the mouth vaginas in the video).

Despite this; it’s by far the record’s strongest track. It’s vastly different from everything else which has a playful party vibe and instead laments with its heart on its shoulder. It might break the flow of the album but it’s a welcome change and something different from Kele’s solo repertoire.

The record also has a cover of Q Lazarus' Goodbye Horses which is henceforth, the anthem of the 21st century trenchcoat flasher. It’s cleaner and more fun than the original, but still encompasses the ambiguity and strangeness that made the original such an underrated classic.

On the whole; The Hunter is a short and sweet follow-up release to Kele’s decent solo debut. It shows more progression, variety and is far more accessible but it's only fault, like The Boxer; it feels like it’s standing on well trodden ground with Kele’s previous releases with Bloc Party. It's not a bad thing as the themes within songs are always interesting and have far more depth than anything else I've heard in the genre (again, limited knowledge) but at times, they feel like a reinterpretation of older songs which, rather than simple rehashes, simply remind me of songs that have been perfected years ago.

But muddled whining aside; in a time of congested releases for music, The Hunter stands out amongst it’s contemporaries and for fans of his previous work (solo or Bloc), or those who want a decent EP of accessible dubstep and synthpop influenced tracks; it's a great little collection of songs who want some substance with their style.

8/10

H