Suck This Tangerine

Taking their name from lead singer/guitarist Cecilia Kelly, Las Kellies emerged from Buenos Aires with their raw, 70s-influenced take on post-punk in the late 2000s. Over the course of the decade to follow, they incorporated other influences, including dancey new wave and dub, on various releases. They bring all of these styles together on sixth album Suck This Tangerine, which features the duo lineup of Kelly and original drummer Silvina Costa (aka Sil Kelly). With Cecilia credited as bassist, the two of them get the job done and keep the energy relatively high on a set that pays special attention to groove. Onetime bassist Julia Worley (Betty Kelly) does make a guest appearance on one track, Close Talker. Replete with short and sweet, distorted guitar riffs, backing ah-oohs, and deadpan lead vocals (I can smell your breath), it also features part-funky, part-melodic bass lines that help define most of the album. Some of the more memorable tracks here include seductive opener Closer and the animated, alarm-sounding Let You Go. Las Kellies offer a couple of breathers along the way but never neglect the bass on an album where tracks including though not limited to the urgent Funny Money and the percussion-infused Hes Whos seem to take their lead from Andy Taylor-era Duran Duran almost as much as stated influences the Slits. ~ Marcy Donelson