If there is one thing that cannot be said about Kele Okereke, it is that his work is formulaic.
The Bloc Party frontman’s last album with the band, Intimacy, had a experimental electronic direction almost unrecognisable from the more traditionally alternative debut Silent Alarm. Yet the continuing evolution of the band, which still managed to be stay both commercially and critically successful was not enough for Kele, who decided to use the self imposed break from the London-based foursome to pursue a solo career.
The Boxer continues to progress in the same direction that Intimacy only hinted at, and without the restraints of creative impulses other than his own, Kele has managed to make a record driven (rather than merely influenced) by his passion for dance music. Having flirted with the genre before, collaborating with registered acts such as the Chemical Brothers and Tiesto, the signposts for this material have been present for a while.
It is within the first thirty seconds of The Boxer that the difference becomes apparent, as the chainsaw-like rawness of the beat on ‘Walk Tall’ kicks in. The first single, ‘Tendorori’, is a polished club hit and ‘On the Lam’ demonstrates the experimentation Kele is willing to do, with an electronically aided pitch shift on the vocals.
Yet among this, there are still some lasting influences from his time at Bloc Party, most notably his vocal delivery which remains quaint and unassuming. ‘Everything You Wanted’ reverts back to a simple piano riff and heavy drum beat, and the guitar on ‘Unholy Thoughts’ is as close to the Bloc Party of old as you can get. With the mixture of both new and old, Kele has demonstrated his capabilities to successfully please both seasoned fans and newcomers. This highly assured debut pays testament to the artist’s own creative potential as a solo performer.
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