While Bloc Party has been on haitus for two years, frontman Kele Okereke has been busy in the studio. This time, though, he didn’t pick up a guitar, but chose instead synths and drum machines. With the new instruments came a new name, Kele, and a debut album called The Boxer. Co-produced by Spank Rock’s XXXchange, The Boxer proves a pretty great departure from Bloc Party’s sound (perhaps with the exception of Flux), a change that is not too welcome.

The album begins with Walk Tall, a melding of military marching chants and a simple yet harsh synth that is probably an attempt to establish a sense of masculinity before it is completely shattered it three minutes later in On the Lam — I’m not joking, Kele actually sounds like a woman in this song. The album then moves into the most recent single Tenderoni, a less then groundbreaking but still quite danceable track. The next few of songs are rather forgettable, which was disappointing as they were the tracks most reminiscent of Bloc Party. The highlight of the album comes near the end: Rise begins as a slow and brightly percussioned song focused on Kele’s voice, slowly building into a near-techno dance tune before smashing into a wall of pulsating sound and shattering back into the sunny percussion. The synths at the beginning of the next track, All Things I Could Never Say, led me to believe that the techno would continue, only to be betrayed by Kele’s vocals that belong nowhere but deep trance. Neither style develops fully and the song sort of just meanders on until female vocals come in for a quick climax, and then some more post-coital meandering. I was also a little upset by the namesake and nature of the song: Kele sang slowly, utilizing few words meaning he either had very little that he could never say (which would be boring) or he didn’t actually say all of it (which would be lame); the album ends on a brighter note with Yesterday’s Gone, but that’s really all I can say about the song.

Rise – Kele

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Tenderoni – Kele

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On The Lam – Kele

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Bloc Party had decided to take their break in part (if not entirely) because Kele wanted to pursue new musical directions (which we got a taste for with Flux); the rest of the band decided that was not the direction they wanted to head. So, Kele took off on his own and tried melding the many genres from which he draws his influence into one. The result was less than impressive. As much as I love Bloc Party and have a sweet spot for Kele’s voice, this album was not up to par. For those interested, Kele will be in Montreal for first day of Osheaga (July 31), New York August on 3rd, and Philly August 6th. Peace.