published: 16 /
9 /
2013
Label:
Fire Records
Format: CD
Unique fourth album from Argentinian all-girl trio Las Kellies, which combines post-punk, dub and reggae and 70’s disco influences
Review
Las Kellies were conceived in 2005 when its three girl members met at a gig in Buenos Aires. Apparently after borrowing amps and instruments from their mates they set off to make dub-styled music fusing Spanish, English, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Catalan and French vocals.
They then spent several years inflicting their unique sound on the ears of the Argentinian music scene. They released their first record, 'Shaking Dog!' in 2007, which has a raw rock and roll sound, and for me personally is reminiscent of the B-52s. In 2009 their second record, 'Kalimera', was released which coincided with their first international tour which took in the Middle East and also saw them treating venues in Europe to their garage-style rhythms.
Ceci Kelly (guitar and vocals); Betty Kelly (bass and vocals) and Sil Kelly ( drums and vocals) then released their third album, 'Kellies' on Fire Records in 2011, which was mixed by reggae legend Dennis Bovell (Madness and Bananarama ) and caught them mixing catchy garage sounds with dub and post-punk that earned them credits in the ‘NME’.
'Total Exposure', their fourth album, has again come out on Fire Records. The album is an eclectic mix, finding them returning to their post-punk and punk roots but the inclusion of more than a hint of reggae and dance music gives them a unique edge. This is due I suspect to the influence of their producer on this record Iván Diaz Mathé (Ivi Lee), who is one of the most influential reggae-dub producers in Buenos Aires and who in his time has worked with the likes of Lee “Scratch” Perry. This creates a new sound for the band, The introduction of keyboards and the addition of synth drums for the first time as well as extra vocals also has an effect on the mix. The result is a chilled-out album packed with warm party-time, slow-groove vibes.
There is a hint of Bananarama in there too, especially on opener 'Sweet Boy’. The tracks are short and often end abruptly, leaving the listener wondering if that is the end of them. 'La Fiesta' is in particular a prime example of that.
This is, however, a progression for Las Kellies. As well as their reggae and dub influences, they lean towards the 70’s arcade type sound found on the intro on tracks from the likes of Sparks and Donna Summer. The B-52's sounding vocals that were evident on the first album are still there in places.
There are not many bands that can move from one sound to another as Las Kellies do. The girls from Argentina are, however, doing just fine. But where do they go from here? Interesting times indeed for Las Kellies.
Track Listing:-
1
Boy, Sweet Boy
2
Melting Ice
3
Golden Love
4
Jealousy
5
A Youth
6
King Lion
7
La Fiesta
8
Post Post
9
Typical Bitch
10
Go V!
11
Two Types
12
Illa San Simon
13
Hit Me Once
14
Don't Look Suspicious
15
Mistico
Band Links:-
https://kellies.bandcamp.com/
https://www.facebook.com/las.kellies/
Label Links:-
https://twitter.com/firerecordings
https://www.facebook.com/Firerecords
http://www.firerecords.com/
https://firerecords.bandcamp.com/
https://instagram.com/fire_records/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Firerecor