The solo debut from Kele Okereke varies immensely from one track to the next, but one thing that stays constant is the Bloc Party frontman's growing affinity with all things electronic. It's a touch uneven, but when it's good, it's great.
Over the course of Bloc Party's three albums, their electronic influences become progressively more prominent, and are never more apparent than on the last, 2008's 'Intimacy'. Without his band, and their guitars, frontman Kele Okereke has taken it one step further. Fans of Bloc Party's stadium worthy riffs may be disappointed with The Boxer then, as it seldom bares any resemblance to Kele's previous work at all.
With a military style chant underpinned by thunderous pounding and a buzzing bassy synth that almost sounds like a race car, 'Walk Tall' makes for an attention grabbing opening. African influences makes their way into the rhythms and chant-like vocals of 'Everything You Wanted', 'New Rules' and 'Rise' are playful, sweet and childlike, while 'Unholy Thought' is one of the few familiar sounding tracks on offer here, led by simple guitar lines and one of Kele's typical melodies.
Okereke's forays into all out dance music are not always entirely successful, though, despite a production credit for Hudson Mohawke. The squeaky vocals of 'On The Lam' are downright irritating, while lead single 'Tenderoni' simply sounds like a lot of other mediocre house music. On the other hand, the agitated electronics of 'All The Things I Could Never Say' are stylishly juxtaposed with a slow, patient vocal line to make for spine-tingling listening. Kele himself has admitted the future of Bloc Party is uncertain. This is why.
