In 2014 Kaleo made their way into the States after releasing their single "All the Pretty Girls", and more recently in 2016 the band released it's first major album "A/B." After carefully listening to the album it has really grown on me and has easily become one of my favorite albums. I find myself going back to it over and over, not because I'm one of those obsessed weirdos, but mainly because of lead singer Jokull Juliusson (We're just gonna call him JJ for now). JJ has a voice that leaves an impact effective immediately. The passion and aggressiveness in his voice is like something you've heard before but in reality you haven't. And it's something that honestly in my opinion will have an immediate effect on the music world, once this band gain's a little more popularity. Going back to the Kaleo's debut album "A/B", for the purpose of time and length, I've narrowed the review to my top four favorite songs from the album all of which will be provided with a link to listen to these songs. Let's get started.
Way Down We Go
The 2nd track on Kaleo's album A/B and is easily the album's most popular song. The song has made appearances in a variety of ways from the hit TV show's Supergirl, Suits and Netflix exclusive Orange Is the New Black to video game appearances such as the FIFA 16 soundtrack. Way Down We Go has a sort of dark jazzy and mysterious kind of vibe to it. It makes me imagine myself in a nightclub scene that has sort of a mafia/Devil's playground kind of vibe to it. The song starts off with a simple piano and JJ singing, and when the beat is dropped JJ gives you a small taste of what his voice can really do jumping to the chorus, but the true beauty in the song lies just after the guitar solo in the middle. JJ picks up the tone when it was thought to be untouchable at this point in the song. His raspiness and aggression demands this song to be heard over and over again on repeat. And more importantly his passion and forceful voice demands this song not to be forgotten.
My Rating for this Song:
Listen to Way Down We Go here:
All the Pretty Girls
The 6th song on Kaleo's album A/B, Kaleo's song All the pretty girls is one worth hearing. In my opinion the song itself is divided up
into three sections. The first section being the intro which starts
off with a mellow acoustic guitar and tells the story of a boy who is
jealous of a certain “Samuel”, because Samuel gets all the
ladies.(You go Samuel!) The second part continuing on with the
mellow, kind of sort of depressing vibe picks up slightly and goes on
with the narrator's story wishing to renew a lost love, or even to
possibly find new love. This part's end is very important to the
song because it builds up for the third piece. The third piece of
this song is what makes it brilliant, from going from a cool, relaxed
sort of Bon Iver kind of feel, Jokull Juliuson's change in tone can
do one of two things, it can either send shivers down your spine or
it'll make you tear. You can hear the disappoint and frustration in
his voice because a said someone will not “lay him down.” The
hope for the renew of a lost love in the heart shattering lyrics
“I'll wait for you.” is what makes this song beautiful. The desperation in JJ's voice truly is a work of art and is something music has never seen before. Bold as it sounds I stand by my statement completely. All the Pretty Girls is definitely the most different song on this album almost completely changing the bands genre itself, but it is easily the best song on this album. It's distinct difference from the other songs on the album proves the band's versatility to be successful and just makes you wonder....What on Earth are these guys going to release next? Although it may not be as popular as other hit single Way Down We Go, people tend to forget that All the Pretty Girls is what broke the barrier for a US record deal that brought Kaleo over from Iceland. It is the band's best song and will be their best song for a long time. It is
definitely one worth listening to. You won't regret it, I promise.
My Rating for this Song:
Listen to All the Pretty Girls here:
Save Yourself
The 9th song on Kaleo's album A/B, and their newest single having just made their live music video for it awhile back on a beautiful iceberg setting somewhere in Iceland. This song is a very good song that I can very well see being played in things such as films and tv shows, it's very radio friendly and displays impressive vocals. But for some reason this song didn't stick to me as well as some other songs on this album. The one thing i really like about this song is the super mellow guitar solo in the middle that continues on throughout for the rest of the song, it's beautifully played and brings joy to my ears. The ending of this is also very impressive with JJ's powerful voice escalating. But other than that it's a typical love song if you ask me. It cracks my top four for the impressive guitar solo and the impressive vocals towards the end.
My Rating for this Song:
Listen to Save Yourself here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oCi0RHLrauU
I Can't Go On Without You
The 10th and final song in Kaleo's Album A/B which starts off with a catchy whistle that definitely makes this song sound blues like. As you can guess it is indeed a love song. The lyrics "I can't go on without you," are repeated often throughout the entire song. What I like most about this song is that it picks up more and more each verse going from basically a soft blues like song to a more modern blues kind of rock. JJ's raspy voice and soulful sound is full of emotion and life. It almost makes you feel like he's singing his heart out for his lost love. It makes me want to bust out the alcohol and remember the one that got away in my life. Definitely some pretty powerful stuff. The song itself has a variety of instruments being played in the background that adds that drama that makes the song memorable. It's in sync all around from instruments to vocals and ending with that high pitched depressing whistle that also was the intro makes this the perfect song not to go out with a bang, but to go out with a purpose.
My Rating for this Song:
Listen to I Can't Go On Without You here:
Overall:
In an honest review Kaleo is definitely a band to watch out for in 2017, they will bring blues rock back in a triumphant fashion. With a great sound instrumentally and such a unique vocals at their disposal the sky's the limit for this band. The band's proven versatility with "All the Pretty Girls", makes them a competitor in a variety of genres. The band also knows how to go back to it's roots with a bang with songs like "Way Down We Go" and "I Can't Go On Without You." Like I said earlier in this blog you can't help but wonder......What on Earth are these guys going to release next?
Letter Grade:
