A/B - Kaleo

Week 8 - Not Spoken About Enough Album

Kaleo are an Icelandic blues rock band who released their second album, A/B, in 2016. This included ‘No Good’ which earned the band a Grammy nomination for Best Rock Performance.

The album runs for ten songs and mixes slow bluesy rock ballads, such as ‘Way Down We Go’, with heavier rock songs, like ‘No Good’.

After success in their home nation following their self-titled debut album, Kaleo signed to Atlantic Records in 2015.

Four singles proceeded the release of the album in order to promote it, all of which received critical acclaims. The album also consists of a cover of the Icelandic song ‘Vor í Vaglaskógi’ which gained Kaleo initial success in Iceland in 2013, and ‘All The Pretty Girls’, which gave the band further success after sustained radio play.

In the years since the release of A/B, multiple songs from the album have heavily featured in the media, including on multiple video games, commercials, films and TV shows.

The band resemble elements of Hozier, Bon Iver and are most easily compared to Kings of Leon, which is evident on songs such as ‘Glass House’ and ‘Hot Blood’. The guitar riffs and solos, as well as the power and depth of the vocal performance has a striking resemblance to the family rock quartet from Tennessee.

The blend of harmonise between the guitars and vocals, and genuinely interesting and creative lyrics, help to deliver a stellar run of songs as you listen to the album from top to bottom. The lyrics on ‘Automobile’ are particularly brilliant, a song which also shows inspirations from country music.

The guitars are well layered, often building on simple chords or riffs, creating an instantly recognisable opening, which the rest of the song can build upon. The backing vocals are also very well thought through, and are used on each song to elevate the emotion, creating anything from energy, excitement or pain, depending on its requirement.

Kaleo have shown on A/B what a complete album should sound like and have raised the bar for themselves with all future releases.

Rating

Lyrics: 10/10

Melodies: 10/10

Instruments: 9/10

Uniqueness: 6.5/10

Overall: 9.5/10

Tell me what you think

Can Kaleo replicate the success of A/B in the future or is this album to great to be surpassed?

---