“Say you wanted to be just a rock n’ roller?”
Since Icelandic rock band Kaleo burst into the mainstream with their 2016 hit “Way Down We Go”, the band have been defined by their blues-heavy brand of alternative-leaning hard rock. While the influence of American music is obvious from any band digging into the blues and early rock n’ roll, on their latest album Mixed Emotions, Kaleo have expanded their musical pallet further into the Americana lexicon, and sound all the better for it.
For those who are fans of Kaleo’s more traditional sound, there’s still plenty to love here. The album’s first three tracks are steeped in electric blues riffs, heavy drums and guttural howls. The album takes off with the haunting “Bloodline”, which is stoked in ghostly vibes, as frontman JJ Julius Son sings “My bloodline goes wild and free. My bloodline will die with me”. This is also the first taste of one of the running themes of the album; mortality, and what we leave behind after we’re gone. And in the case of the album’s second track, the politically charged “USA Today”, how real-world tragedies like gun violence (“Just another shooting. Just another tear behind the eye”) play a hand in this death dread being on Son’s mind.
These heavier themes continue later in the album, such on the spacious “The Good Die Young”. While the themes here are still deeper, the band takes a more delicate touch here, giving the drums a lot of breathing room, and trying out a falsetto delivery on the vocals. There’s even a bit of freewheeling jazz elements as horns come in towards the end. The band also dives into folk, such as on the pretty, acoustic “Lonely Cowboy”, where Son pines “I don’t want to die alone”, and the mid-tempo “Legacy”, a piano-led meditation on aging (“I’m gonna live forever is what I used to say. But my faith has grown weaker with every dying day”) that is capped with a gospel choir and hopeful horns.
One of the album highlights, and most Americana-influenced tracks is the soulful “Run No More”. Slowing building momentum throughout the song, the song grows to an empowering conclusion, with another contribution from the gospel choir. It’s a true anthem birthed from the prairies of the heartland.
But for some of you, you just want that good old fashioned fun rock n’ roll. The band obliges, on the aptly titled “Rock N Roller”, a rollicking blast of solos and full-throated shouts that would make the Black Keys grow pale. The band also provides a perfect stomper with the sultry “Back Door” (“Don’t be a tease. You know I’m easy to please”). These tracks show that the band is still looking to have some fun, despite the mostly darker subject matter of the album.
As they titled the album Mixed Emotions, there’s a range of feelings here. From blazing barnburners to the slow lament of “Sofðu Unga Ástin Mín” (the album’s only track fully in the band’s native Icelandic tongue), Kaleo show off a great range both emotionally and musically here that any true rock fan should appreciate.
The album is out everywhere on May 9th, and you can hear the pre-released songs here.
The Indy Review 