| Fatherland | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 6 October 2017 | |||
| Genre | Folk | |||
| Length | 45:01 | |||
| Label | BMG | |||
| Producer | Justin Harris | |||
| Kele Okereke chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Fatherland | ||||
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Fatherland is the third solo album by Bloc Party frontman Kele Okereke. The album was released on 6 October 2017 and was his first solo album released under his full name instead of the professional name of Kele. It also produced by the band's bassist Justin Harris.
The album was a departure from the alternative dance and electro house style of his previous two albums and instead opted for a folk sound inspired by Joni Mitchell, Nick Drake and Elliott Smith. [1] [2] The album focuses on Kele's experiences being a father despite being a gay man as well as reconnecting with his Nigerian heritage. [3] The album features duets from Olly Alexander from synth-pop band Years & Years and Corinne Bailey Rae on the songs "Grounds for Resentment" and "Versions of Us." Kele embarked on his first solo acoustic tour in support of the album in May 2017 in which he played a mixture of the album, previous solo songs and acoustic renditions of Bloc Party songs. [4]
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 66/100 [5] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [6] |
| Clash | 7/10 [7] |
| DIY | [8] |
| Drowned in Sound | 7/10 [9] |
| The Observer | [1] |
| Paste | 5.6/10 [10] |
| Pitchfork | 6.5/10 [11] |
Fatherland received "generally favourable reviews" from critics; at Metacritic which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 66 based on 10 reviews. Critics praised Okereke's honest and personal lyrics as well as usage of "tenor sax, soft electric piano and clarinets." [7] Neil Young from AllMusic described the album as "forlorn and delicate" and as remaining "mostly sullen and occasionally sharp in its content, but the instrumentation helps lift the songs from the gloom." He also praised Okereke's restraint and maturation as a songwriter. [6] Leander Hobbs from The Line of Best Fit described the duets with Olly Alexander and Corinne Bailey Rae as showing "that Okereke understands how to add greater texture and contrast to his shaky vocals without resorting to the autotuned experiments of his early career." [12] However, others were critical of the album, with The Observer describing "Okereke's shaky voice" as making the album "far slighter than it might have been." [1] Paste magazine said it was a shame "that what lies behind dozens of layers of metaphorical shrouds, isn’t a bit more poetic and interesting."
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Overture" | Okereke | 0:45 |
| 2. | "Streets Been Talkin'" | Okereke | 3:25 |
| 3. | "You Keep On Whispering His Name" | Okereke | 4:09 |
| 4. | "Capers" | Okereke | 3:51 |
| 5. | "Grounds for Resentment" (featuring Olly Alexander) | Okereke & Alexander | 4:17 |
| 6. | "Yemaya" | Okereke | 3:32 |
| 7. | "Do U Right" | Okereke | 3:51 |
| 8. | "Versions of Us" (featuring Corinne Bailey Rae) | Okereke & Bailey Rae | 4:13 |
| 9. | "Portrait" | Okereke | 3:31 |
| 10. | "Road to Ibadan" | Okereke | 3:23 |
| 11. | "Savannah" | Okereke | 2:56 |
| 12. | "The New Year Party" | Okereke | 3:11 |
| 13. | "Royal Reign" | Okereke | 3:50 |
| Total length: | 45:01 | ||
Credits adapted from Discogs. [13]
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Justin Harris and Louise Bartle. Former members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes left the band in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music. The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's lead singer, Alex Kapranos, a copy of their demo "She's Hearing Voices".
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| Singles |
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| Related articles | |
