The abrasive sounds of Robber Robber and the smooth, guitar-fuelled alternative R&B of Kelela. Enjoy!
Robber Robber
Two Wheels Move the Soul
2026, 7.5/10
Nina Cates and Zack James started playing together in high school in Brattleboro, Vermont. Both experienced housing instability while recording their second album with Robber Robber. They took refuge in the studio, an escape from the chaos around them. The band accompany Nina Cates’ vocals with industrial clanks on songs like ‘It’s Perfect Out Here in the Sun’. It reminds me of the off-kilter pop sensibilities of the Cocteau Twins or Stereolab, but the contrast between gentle vocals and rough music is even more pronounced.
We listen to a lot of the new indie rock coming out, and we very specifically try not to sound like that.
Zack James, Seven Days
The spidery guitars of ‘Bullseye’ sound like the foundation of a Slint epic, although the band keep it as a concise three minutes (perhaps unwisely).
But there’s prettiness too, like ‘Pieces’, which opens with a barrage of feedback before dropping into a gentle groove.
A paranoid guitar riff fuels ‘Watch for Infection’
Kelela
New Avatar
2026, 8/10
Kelela Mizanekristos was born in Washington, D.C., a second-generation Ethiopian American. She was a late bloomer, not releasing her debut album until her mid-thirties. New Avatar is Kelela’s third album. It has a bedroom-pop feel centred on raw guitars. It sounds like the same territory mk.Gee and Dijon are exploring, although Kelela’s vocals float over the top airily, giving her a different spin on the alternative R&B sound.
When it comes to lyrics, I am thinking about the feeling. And oftentimes when I’m singing in gibberish over the instrumental, there are word sounds and words that come out. So I am always deciphering on some level what it is that I’m trying to say, and the meaning is usually produced through those words and word sounds.
Kelela, The Fader
‘Crystalize’ hits a lovely point between propulsive and airy, a lovely midpoint that Kelela specialises in.The guitar sounds great on the opening ‘idea 1’, with space for guitar dynamics against her airy vocals. Even the song titled ‘Don’t Piss Me Off’ floats gently. PinkPantheress guests on ‘The Bridge’, sharing vocals with Kelela.
New Avatar is airily gorgeous, but there’s plenty of substance too.
Read More
Related Posts and Pages
One comment
Leave a Reply
Read about the discographies of musical acts from the 1960s to the present day. Browse this site's review archives or enjoy these random selections:
I add new blog posts to this website every week. Browse the archives or enjoy these random selections:
Subscribe
Subscribe to receive new posts from Aphoristic Album Reviews.
It’s funny, based on your intro, I figured I’d clearly prefer Robber Robber over Kelela. While the contrast between Nina Cates’ soft vocals and the brutal music is kind of intriguing, I also find it a bit anxiety-inducing. As such, I have a hard time imagining listening to the entire album in one shot. Kelala, on the other hand, is gentler on the ears. That said, my stubborn, always-in-the-back-lurking pop ear didn’t hear any melodic hooks that stuck, at least based on my initial impression. On balance though, I still can better imagine listening to “new avatar” in its entirety than “Two Wheels Move the Soul.”