Demos

Kalena - Kalena

Matt Harrold 30/12/2006

Rating: 4/5

Five piece Kalena from Leicester/Nottingham have already had a positive review here on GIITTV with their EP 'The March Riots.' So with the release of their new self-titled demo these purveyors of DIY indie rock are back again, trying to win over the hearts and minds of more music lovers across the county. This is shock and awe part three: Midlands Strike!

Opening track 'Eastern Block' is quite possibly the only time you'll hear The Libertines filtered through the likes of Editors, without losing any of the former's energy, though without Pete Doherty's poetic turn of phrase. 'Bare To The Floor' keeps the revs in the red whilst trumpets herald the moment when the ska influence, which had been quietly sitting in the background, bursts to the fore in all of its shuffling calypso glory. Final track '15th Floor' beefs up the bass and dirties up the rifts with a solid piece of punk rock which, whilst not pushing anything new to the front, manages to produce a mean impersonation of Joey Ramone vocally.

Whilst it's easy to read the influences into Kelena, they've managed to meld them into a solid slice of in-your-face rock, with only a moment of lyrical weakness here and there to keep it from getting top marks. Though it's hard to get caught up on small niggles when a band puts in as much oomph and effort as Kelena do here.

www.myspace.com/kalenatheband