Album Review: Kaleo Makes A Rich Debut Into Rock N’ Roll (Out June 10)

I have had the privilege of seeing Kaleo in concert. Thus, I was excited to get my hands on their debut and see if their live magnetism transferred to album and vice versa. I am happy to hear that it does. Their debut record, A/B, is a passionate stir of indie rock meets blues.

For starters, Kaleo’s frontman, Jökull Júlíusson, has  a voice that goes down like bourbon. I have marveled how this Icelandic band has managed to embody Nashville spirit. It is eery that these guys are not at all Southern, especially when you hear the tracks Automobile or Broken Bones. Both are songs that feel like they were written with a bottle of whisky in the back of a pick-up truck in Mississippi. I know that is a vivid painting, but this group vibrantly encapsulates the rock sensibility and natural heat of the South. When you hear, Hot Blood or No Good, you want to bathe in a mud-pit or dance at a friend’s BBQ. These songs are forces of fun that will leave you wanting to grab a beer and tell your worries to buzz off. These freeing, strengthening sentiments come, primarily, from Júlíusson’s voice.

Júlíusson grabs the grit of emotion. It is magnificently simple yet awe-inspiring. He has an innate ability to emote the dirtiness of feelings like, the faults with love, the inescapability of heartbreaks, or the piercing pain that, sometimes, comes with feeling hope. It is a grit that sullies emotion but elevates his voice as its captor. Add the powerful riffs from lead guitarist Rubin Pollock, bassist Daniel Kristjansson, and drummer David Antonsson,  and you have an army of rock n’ roll invading your soul. Honestly, they sound like a blues group of superheroes: using their instruments as a way to defeat the bad times. Yet, Kaleo can can make a softer sound to seduce.

Although Kaleo’s power lies in their ability to bust through soundwaves, they can easily transition into lighter tones. I Can’t Go On Without You,Way Down We Go,  and All The Pretty Girls are songs where Júlíusson transforms the grit of his voice into vulnerability. This then turns his sultry tone from seduction to charm. There is a slight difference. Seduction is passionate and potent. In songs like No Good, he seduces listeners to let out all the pent up negativity and embrace flaws to release them. It is a more aggressive, sonic experience, while charm is layered and sweet. Thus, when you hear the depth of Júlíusson’s voice attain lighter feelings its feels like a hardened man opening his heart. All The Pretty Girls makes you feel the freshness of Júlíusson’s youth and desire to love women’s beauty, while Way Down We Go makes you want to hold him and say it gets better. Thus, he can make you feel like you can bust through your own walls all while making you think he is crumbling to his own. The dynamic is perfect and allows for A/B to satisfy two musical desires: one to be still and one to keep in motion.

Musical desires can be divided between a need to free yourself through movement and a want of stillness to observe sonic thoughts. This album can be divided into both, whether you are dancing or sitting down quietly to listen, A/B is meant for both occasions. Even when Kaleo sings the beautiful, Vor í Vaglaskógi, which is in their native tongue, you are willing to follow them despite the language barrier. Their overall sound makes you trust in their words and musicianship because goodness is undeniable.

To sum up. Kaleo is a really good band. I can’t simplify it enough. Their mainstream rise is founded and exciting. I love to see purely great musicianship escalate into both national and international fame. It reminds listeners that in the music industry there really are good ears and eyes for what the people musically need. Kaleo is definitely needed, and once you hear A/B,  you will want them, as well.

This “Genuinely Good All Around” Album, A/B, will be released today June 10. For More Information on The Band Click Here And To Buy A/B Click Here.