Kaleo – A/B
Review by Zoe Marquedant
As much as it’s a bit cliche to begin an introduction to a band with a recipe, please imagine if you will the combination of Jack White and Johnny Cash with a dash of the Black Keys and a touch of Bon Iver. The result is Kaleo. Originally from Iceland, the four piece recently relocated to Austin, Texas, where they cut their U.S. debut, A/B. An Americana-indie gem, the album channels musical hints of the heartland with good ol’ fashioned grit.
The record’s lead single, “Way Down We Go,” showcases lead vocalist/guitarist JJ Julius Son’s gorgeously gravelly voice. He’s both harsh and heartfelt throughout; his tone pairing perfectly with the persistently pounding drums and gentle hits of the piano. The music video, shot inside the Thrihnukagigur volcano in the band’s native Iceland, really captures the song’s depth and haunting quality.
Son switches to a delicate falsetto for “All The Pretty Girls.” The softer side of A/B, the song is as gentle as a warm breeze and a quintessential summer song. There’s a tenderness to it, despite it’s forlorn lyrics. Son softly pleads, “Won’t you lay me/won’t you lay me down” in the chorus. He comes across as a muted hopeful, almost ethereal at points. The whole band scales back to meet him on this level, but they don’t lose any of their momentum. Eventually building to a more full-presence, electric performance, Kaleo skillfully adds to the whispering guitar of the opening until they’re at full strength. The acoustic and steel guitar meld together perfectly and illustrate how open Kaleo is to exploring other rigs.
The song is followed by another slower number, “Automobile.” A re-released track from their Icelandic self-titled debut, the song is a definitive nod to the band’s more country side. Even if you’re not a fan of the genre, it somehow makes you want to climb into the cab of a rusting Ford with the band and cross the middle west on the way to anywhere, maybe even Mexico. Son expertly crafts this romantic depiction of himself on a fictional road trip, “Going a hundred miles an hour/only me at the wheel.” He leads the listener to falling in love with that scenery. “Automobile” also makes the band’s move to the American Southwest make a lot more sense. It’s a successful spark of wanderlust that’ll have the listener whistling along with Son as the song closes.
“Save Yourself” is a similar sort of descriptive that has the listener pining for whatever it is Son is singing about, whether it’s “dancing barefoot in the dark” or roaming down the open road. In both cases, the pictures and the emotions come across undeniably clear. For “Save Yourself,” Son proves again his mastery of the higher notes as well as the grittier tones. Like “All The Pretty Girls,” the song crescendos into a all-hands-on-deck swelling of strings as Son sings “Are you gonna break? What’s it going to take?” in the outro. He repeats this softness for “Vor í Vaglaskógi,” which is written in their native tongue. It is both a look into the band’s beginning as well as their Sigur Ros-ian capabilities to shift not only from genre to genre, but also from language to language.
Back on the opposite end of the spectrum, “Hot Blood” is a guitar-heavy album stand out. With screaming solos and crashing drums, it’s the track to recklessly air guitar along to. Reminiscent of the distorted fuzz on the Black Keys’ “Gold on the Ceiling,” the track showcases Kaleo’s abilities as a bonafide rock band. Drummer Davíð Antonsson really shines. As does guitarist Rubin Pollock, whose closing solo is probably the best on the record. It’s a blistering thirty seconds that really shows the band’s roots.
Overall, the album is an alluring sampling of Kaleo’s potential as a rock, indie, country, alt- whatever genre they decide to explore next- band. A/B leaves listeners wondering what we’ll see next from the band that seems to easily conquer whatever sound they put their minds to.
Overall Rating: 5 of 5 stars
Recommended Tracks: “Hot Blood” & “Save Yourself”
