By Conor Heaney

After the release of Intimacy, the trend appeared clear; either Bloc Party were actually moving into this ‘alternative dance’ arena, or Kele was tearing loose and re-adjusting the rock-anchor which the band had built for themselves since Silent Alarm. The truth is though, that this solo departure for Kele does indeed appear to be the natural progression for himself and the band. Intimacy did seem too Kele-centric in an uncomfortable way for the other group members, a catalogue of what seemed to be Kele’s thoughts and the listing of Kele’s turmoils. (This is even more apparent, Flux now slots itself easily into Kele’s solo set. Whilst originally not on Intimacy, the track does appear as a bonus track on separate versions of A Weekend in the City and Intimacy, and is of this period of Bloc-Party-electronica.) At least now, with The Boxer, a spiky guitar-riff need not be incorporated simply as a bow to hardened Bloc Party listeners. This is where Kele can musically stretch out and indeed branch out into his own interests. It is successful in parts, clumsy in others, and overall an interesting offer from Mr Okereke.

The opening lyrics of the opening track Walk Tall, are of a military theme, “I don’t know what you’ve been told/ But this starts now walk tall walk tall.” – And the track itself appears to track Kele’s absorbing of this solo-ism, “I’m getting taller,” “Cut your ties to the past and wave them goodbye.” As well as this, Walk Tall’s production is the heaviest on the album, there is no ‘easing-in’ as it were, for those unsure of what to expect. With this, it severs the ties between Kele and Bloc Party for the album. This does indeed appear to be Kele’s reasoning. In an interview for CHARTattack, he said, “These were ideas that I’ve just had in the last year, just ideas in my head, just coming to life and there was no one else to thank for it. It was just me, and that was good. It was like, ‘This is me, and I’m proud of it.’” You can call it solipsistic, or simply introspective, or self-serving, or (if you wish to be kind) revealing. This usually shy front-man finds a fitting venue for this solipsism on The Boxer.

On the Lam appears to be Kele and a pitch-shifter of some description, with lyrics oozing of regret and disdain, “I’ve finally flipped out and I’m hiring a detective/ To find out where I’ve been, where I’ve been.” - amidst a moderately impressive backing track; but where this track needs remarking is from around 3:30 onwards; where the listener is introduced to the sound of simply a failed telephone call with the looping message, “Please hang up and try again.” - It will be a continuing theme that I will come back to.

First single Tenderoni was chosen for fairly obvious reasons. It allows him to combine the type of lyrics he spoons out with ease, “Every time that we kiss/ It seems you’re holding back/ Don’t be so quick, to pull away,” with the backing track that everyone has already heard. It is not a bad song, and it is an effective development (or so it seems) of Wiley’s Wearing My Rolex. It’s an unavoidable comparison, and one is not sure whether this issue has been brought up with Kele. The song is clubbish, which is what he seems to be in-part aiming for, but for what is positive about the song, is at least equalled by its almost plagiarised production. This sour taste is not sweetened with The Other Side; combining uninspiring lyrics, “I am turning to the man, I used to be.” and a clanging and repetitive and bland piece of production. Second single Everything You Wanted is the first on this offering that feels as if it could been on Intimacy. Kele lets his voice soar (as he can) in his own slightly whiney, but altogether controlled vocals, “I could have given you everything you wanted.” – Lyrics which directly contradict his proclamation of maturity on the succeeding track The New Rules, “I used to want to rule the world/ But now I just get by,” “I’m learning to be laid back about certain things,” “There’s nothing to prove anymore, nothing to lose/ I burned away all my desire.” – It appears to be a slight sequel to Intimacy’s stand-out track Signs (in style rather than lyrical theme) – but Kele seems unable on this to recreate the moving melody and crescendo, the laden xylophone twisted with what seem to be painful lyrics, “I believe in anything/ That brings you back, home to me.” So whilst The New Rules is particularly impressive on the standalone album The Boxer, Kele is weighed down somewhat by what the listeners knows Kele can do when writings songs of this nature. It is also on this track that the telephone-operator-sample is fully utilised. It seems an odd concept to develop on, possibly knowingly contradicting his reflective lyrics with the continuous inclusion of this obsessive loop; but it is open to interpretation.

Stand-out track on the album is certainly Rise. A continuous drum-machine beat with a light xylophonish melody opens the track, as Kele almost religiously invites us into the song, “Brothers, sisters come with me/ Into the light.” and he assures us, “You are stronger than you think,” as the production is layered, layered again, stripped down, crescendos are added, the tempo moves from adagio to allegro; and a thudding sythenthisised loop takes control as female voice tells us, “I’m taking over,” before the song explodes into a meshy piece of expressionism, sounding hazy and haphazard but ultimately controlled and intended. This is what Kele can offer, variance and originality and lyricism and development; but so often he simply does not reproduce the brilliance of this track.

All The Things I Could Never Say, however laboriously titled, is a cool and chilling track which may have worked better as an album closer, sounding almost as a fitting requiem for The Boxer. Whilst at times lyrically clumsy, “The bottles are empty in the cabinet/ I noticed my first grey hair, today.” – It also has in itself nuggets of introspection which Kele thrives on serving, “Where did you stay last night? / You didn’t come home/ I’m spending all of my time, waiting on your call.” Adding to this, the chorused harmonies towards the song’s end are restrained and mature. A similar effect is attempted on Yesterday’s Gone, “Make a space for all the good times/ Store them in your heart,” – and are, to an extent, achieved; despite its less impressive production.

So, Kele, ‘going-it-alone’ as a boxer does, hence the title, has produced an interesting effort. He has succeeded in giving himself a separate identity. This is, in no way, a Bloc Party album. It is very listenable, and is layered enough to give the listener more over time; but there is something missing. It is not a guitar solo nor anything Bloc Party-ish, but possibly more varied and experimental production, or something of this vein. When, in the closing track, Kele tells us, “This is your moment/ You got to take it in,” it may in fact be more his moment than the listeners, but this album is worth it. This should not be the last solo effort we hear from this man. A brave endeavour – when so often frontmen of bands branch off in search of a new ‘direction’ and instead produce indirection; Kele’s style has some substance to it.

Lyrics – 7/10

Instrumentation – 6/10

Production – 7/10

Giving this album 67%.