Suck This Tangerine. Las Kellies

Las Kellies returns to this blog and with a, from memory, much more solid and professional sounding album. 'Friends & Lovers of 2016 was the band's fifth album. After four years the band returns with Suck This Tangerine, with just the two founding members of the band, Cecilia Kelly and Silvina Kelly (Costa) as members.

Suck This Tangerine is a super tight post punk album. The early 80s are all over the place. High sharp guitar chopping is the thing on this album. A chord a stroke is not uncommon. This makes the album erratic to listen to as there are not many points of rest to be found.

Take 'Weekdays'. The Gang of Four is all over the song. The difference being that I can listen to the song easily. Again this has to do with the fact that Las Kellies are able to write a vocal melody to accompany the erratic playing. Also the voices of Cecilia and Silvina sound a lot better than Jon King ever was. A matter of taste, no doubt, but for me a second obstacle concerning the "real thing".

Vocally Las Kellies joins many female bands that rose to recognition in the 10s. Whether Warpaint or Deap Vally, often there is this dreamy way of singing that accompanies the playing; that can have totally different styles and genres. The dreamy quality often is there.

Promo photo

What astounds me just a little, is that there is nothing in the whole album that would make me guess that Las Kellies is not a U.K. band. In everything it is. (Except they come from Buenos Aires.) There's even a Bananarama style song hidden at the end of the album. 'Close Talker' has far more guitars than Bananarama ever had, the singing is a dead giveaway. The combination of distorted guitars, weird percussive effects and the singing really works. In 1981 this could have been a hit actually.

Although I was attracted to Sucking This Tangerine from the first spin, the album grew on me as well. The combination of the tight drumming, dry bass sound and percussive guitar playing with the dreamy singing simply works very well. To me it really sounds like something else. From the drum pick up of 'Closer', the first song, the album has an infectious (I almost feel like apologising for using this word) groove that carries me forward easily. The drums, the pumping bass and the sharp guitar moving in and out of the song do the work. If you like 'Closer', chances are you'll like this album.

Wo.

You can listen to and buy Suck This Tangerine here:

https://laskelliesmusic.bandcamp.com/album/suck-this-tangerine


or listen to our Spotify Playlist to find out what we are writing about:

https://open.spotify.com/user/glazu53/playlist/6R9FgPd2btrMuMaIrYeCh6?si=KI6LzLaAS5K-wsez5oSO2g