Kele - The Hunter EP (2011)

6/10


In spite of his detractors, Kele's newest release has its moments

It’s fair to say that Kele Okereke’s flirtations with dance music have earned a mixed reception. There’s been negativity towards the general sound, the quality of songwriting and of course, there's been pining for another Silent Alarm... well, you can save that one for Bloc Party’s upcoming fourth album. For now, Kele’s out to prove his credibility as a solo artist and happily delves into new territory for this new release.

The EP begins with two dancefloor-friendly pop songs. “What Did I Do?” is a decent foray into dubstep, featuring guest vocals from Lucy Taylor, while house track “Release Me” has a quirky Caribbean vibe to it.

Things sometimes go wrong on the dancefloor; a cover of Q Lazzarus’ “Goodbye Horses” is uninspiringly drowned in Europop-like synths, detracting from a song which originally had a lot more character. There are other instances where the whimsical nature of the music wins over; when you hear an accordion in the build-up of “You Belong To Someone Else”, you can’t help but lay back and smile at the shameless electro drop.

Yet the finest moments probably come when Kele gets his head out of the club and, in the case of “Devotion”, whimpering alone on his couch. Lovelorn lyrics are definitely one of Kele’s strong points, but the way his vocals combine with a deep bassline and bubbling synths are what really make this the EP's outstanding track.

He even has a couple of tracks for fans after something similar to old Bloc Party material. “Cable’s Goodbye” is a little bland, but “Love As A Weapon” is a highlight. With a vocal that evokes memories of A Weekend In The City, it’s a warm song which has as much in common sonically with Lamb-style trip hop than modern dubstep.

The Hunter can’t often be described as awe-inspiring or groundbreaking and the quality of the tracks is a bit varied, much like Kele’s previous effort. However, he has a respectable go at a few different styles of dance music and comes away with his reputation intact, delivering enough to intrigue the aural palate.


This EP was released by Wichita on 31 October 2011, available from the label's website or HMV.