The Bloc Party boss continues to dedicate himself to the four elements with effect pedal-based electronica.
It’s now been around 20 years since Bloc Party released a debut album, SILENT ALARM, which is undoubtedly one of the greatest indie rock records of the noughties. While the band may already be planning an anniversary tour, frontman Kele Okereke is still busy working on his solo output.
Next and final stop: Earth
After extensive reorientation in electronics and the acoustically influenced outlier FATHERLAND, he has now arrived at a major project with which he is, to a certain extent, voluntarily limiting himself. The first three albums dedicated to the four elements, THE WAVES, PT, were actually created. 1, THE FLAMES, PT. 2 and now THE SINGING WINDS, PT. 3 solely via electric guitar and voice.
While this venture, which drifted towards electronica with all sorts of effect pedals, ended up being a bit unwieldy in the end, Kele found new suppleness in the fresh air. Between the fine staccatos of the opener “It Wasn’t Meant To Be” and the floating atmosphere of the finale “Holy Work”, not everything that glitters may be gold – as convincingly groovy as in songs à la “Hometown Edge”, “ However, Kele hasn’t been seen in Money Trouble or Kintsugi for a while. Next and final stop: Earth.
You can find out which albums will be released in January 2025 via our monthly release list.