Released: February 21st 2005

The Karelia are not a band that would sound familiar to most, and that is quite a shame. It could have something to do with the heavy jazz, ska, and other out-of-the-way influences that heavily permeate every track.

Featuring Alex Kapranos (then accredited as Huntley) of Franz Ferdinand fame on vocals, guitar, bouzouki and banjolele, Glen Thompson, now the Franz manager (small world), on bass guitar and percussion, Allan Wylie on trumpet, and Thom Falls on drums (what a talented bunch), the quartet released their only record, ‘Divorce at High Noon’, on Roadrunner Records in 1997. As the copies went scarce, selling for small fortunes on eBay, Roadrunner timely decided to re-release the album for those wishing to hear the earlier work of that enigmatic, cutting edge (and fringe) musician, Alex Kapranos.

Containing the original fifteen tracks plus bonus material consisting of two more tracks and a video (the only one the band made), it is a very interesting listen, though not so easily accessible on the musical level. It is a far cry from the simple, catchy tunes of Franz Ferdinand and seems more like an experiment in sound and song structure. Songs range from a fifty second romp of sound to a ten minute philosophical discussion complete with imitated, quirky voices that make it quite the retelling.

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