Review Thursday: Prevenge, Kele and Eyedea & Abilities!


Prevenge

It Happens All The Time
Juicebox Recordings 

I just saw this Montreal punk rock quartet open for 88 Fingers Louie at Foufounes on August 1st and they blew me out of the water, or in this case, off the beer-soaked floor. I downloaded their album from Juiceboxdotcom.com (a free record label) when I got home and gave it a listen. Here is the true beauty of this band: it’s like they are not even playing their music, there are no points in the album (or live) that they are trying to keep their timing, counting down what comes next or trying to remember the lyrics. The music seems to come as naturally as playing covers of their favourite tunes. They glide through songs that were written by lovers of the music for lovers of the music (FUBU for punks). Each song is a catchy, rhythmic coalesce of simplicity and respect for the art of making music for nothing else but having fun. This album is the reason punk rock exists, and should keep us coming back to it year after year.

Mat "Runt" Barrot


Kele
The Boxer
Wichita

 

Oh, a lead singer releasing a solo album!  How novel of a concept!  I wish someone else had thought of that – I bet it would have made someone a dollar or two! 

Yes, in a world full of unnecessary albums comes a new one from the lead singer of Bloc Party. Going by the name Kele (which is a real stretch since that is his first name), he released an album called The Boxer.   

Now, I know I sound bitter, but that’s because I am.  Even though I knew this was a solo album, I wanted to believe that it was going to be a solo album that’s worth my time, unlike a Billy Corgan, James Iha, Dave Gahan, Scott Stapp, Courtney Love, ego-fueled, cock-waving, “look at what I can do ALL BY MYSELF!” piece of trash.  Oh, but low and behold, what came to me, but the latter. 

Now maybe it's not fair to accuse Kele of having some tremendous ego just because he put out a solo album, but his discription of the album title leaves me to question if that’s true. Kele says he called the album The Boxer because, “as a boxer you have to rely on nobody else except yourself to achieve what it is that you want to achieve”. [1]  So I guess he was the main push for the three albums released by Bloc Party and no one else was instrumental at all.  Good to know. 

I always wonder why an artist in a band doesn’t… I don’t know… work with his fucking band to take the musical ideas that he has and flush them out into good, full-length songs.  This album could have definitely used more of that type of input because most of the music and lyrics are repetitive, boring, and sound like fragments of Bloc Party songs.  It’s a preemie album that needs to be put back in the oven and cooked for longer with other chefs checking in on it and adding other ingredients to it.  Its all the lyrics and electronics that Bloc Party had without drums or guitars or basses: those extra little touches that made Bloc Party interesting. 

Of course this isn’t to say that the whole album is terrible.  Some songs are catchy, and I liked one song on it, particularly “Everything You Wanted”, which is smartly going to be released as a single to trick people into buying a sub-par album.  But, don’t be fooled.  Don’t buy this undercooked thing and then Kele will get over himself, and then Bloc Party will release albums again and then we can all be happy.   

Then again, I’m sick, so what do I know?

-Comments, Exasperations, suggestions for how to get rid of viruses: Gradeaexplosives@cjlo.com

[1] - http://www.chartattack.com/news/86775/kele-okereke-relies-on-himself-for-the-boxer

 



Eyedea & Abilities

By The Throat

I had been waiting for this album for years. Eyedea & Abilities released E&A in 2004 and redefined for me what hip-hop could be. This Minnesota twosome were definitely right when they said that “You never in your life could do as much as we do with just two techs and a mic”. However with the followup album By The Throat, they seem to do what far too many bands are doing and have fallen by the wayside of menial hip-hop. What was two techs and a mic has been replaced by a full arrangement of musicians including drums, guitar, keyboard and bass. Eyedea has also taken to singing in this album as opposed to only rapping, making this album unoriginal, and frankly a boring change for two extremely talented individuals. Every time I put on By The Throat, I have to quickly change it back to E&A, which is still as good as the first time I heard it. Here’s an eyedea, If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

Mat "Runt" Barrot