The Boxer
Kicking off his solo debut, Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke immediately announces that he wants to 'cut ties to the past and wave it goodbye.' For the rest of The Boxer, Kele makes good on that promise: Produced by Spank Rock collaborator XXXChange, The Boxer slices off the tightly wound post-punk of Kele's day-to-day band and goes full-on electronic, creating a few moments of dancehall bliss — notably with the rubbery, fuzzed-out bass line on 'Tenderoni' and the arena-filling choruses soaring through 'Everything You Wanted.' As for the rest of The Boxer, artiness trumps hip-shaking soul on too many cuts — although the gentle croon and gurgling synths of nondanceable songs like 'All the Things I Could Never Say' make for nice dinner music.