Album Review: Kele - 'The Singing Winds Pt. 3'
A third instalment of a new solo project born in the times of lockdown, Bloc Party frontman Kele is back to the elements with his new record, The Singing Winds.
Kele had been busy post-lockdown with his mates in Bloc Party: touring and supporting around the world, and planning celebrations for upcoming milestones. Now some dust has settled however, it’s the right time for Kele to strip it all back to the basics and make music once again with his nearest and dearest friend: his guitar.
The record begins with ‘It Wasn’t Meant To Be’: an honest track about the end of a relationship, detailed in a way that isn’t slow or soft or solemn. More in this calm chaos that shows the vocalist recognised the downfall as it happened, and is trying to be cool with it but there is an underlying sense with the composition that it’s a struggle. Being amicable in a break-up is one of the hardest things to do sometimes, and Kele captured his experiences on this with this track.
The record’s first single, ‘Hometown Edge’ is a throwback to the singer’s experiences on the street of his hometown London. Dropping iconic areas such as Liverpool Street, Whitehall and Bethnal Green, Kele’s ode to the English capital is not one of pure joy or pride. The catchy melody and rhythms cannot hide the pain that flows through his words. Not all nights out end well, and not everyone is accepted in the greatest city in the country, and this is something that Kele acknowledged in his own way in this track.
The Singing Winds has been Kele’s latest mechanism to make sense of his emotions and balance out his past and present to make sure his future is a peaceful one. From looking at his tendencies of anxiety and overwhelming himself in ‘Breathless’, to working himself into ill health to make a living in ‘Money Trouble’, airing out what he went through and continues to go through will hopefully lead to a happier and much healthier tomorrow.
Ending on the attempt to find solance in love and religion combined in ‘Holy Work’, the record closes with a feeling of success and completion. Another part of Kele’s project has come to an end, and like the previously released The Waves and The Flames, it’s time to take it all in and channel the element before moving on to the next and possible final part of the series.
The Singing Winds using electronic and indie elements to tell stories that are good, bad, and if neither, very likely ugly. Kele blooms when given the chance to be alone with his head and his guitar, and as soothing as it is to listen to and feel as an outsider, must feel as cathartic for him feeling from the inside out.
Words by Jo Cosgrove
