Kellen of Troy’s Posthumous Release is full of tongue-in-cheek eclecticism and variety. Front man Kellen Wenrich, formerly the fiddle player in Apache Relay, launched this, his solo debut, on Friday February 16.
“Rule Your Heart” features immediately catchy rhythms and violin over wry lyrics like “all alone on the American throne without you as my first lady.” “So You Found Yourself A Rockstar” is a throwback to the California of the Beach Boys, with pop rhythms and collective backing vocals.
“Great Heartbreaker” will be the centerpiece of this album for Americana fans with its country guitar and banjo, while Kellen sings “she’s a great heartbreaker” and the lyrics become more emotionally direct. And then there is the title track, which is placed at number nine in the set list, and continues to exhibit Kellen’s more sorrowful offerings: “in lieu of any flowers try to give your love away.” The song “it’s so much worse” “When You Don’t Hear Good-bye” again expresses more genuine anguish with its slower tempo and piano melodies. Overall the songs on the album wax satirical, effectively shaking you up from any thought of dwelling dramatically on lost love.
Kellen of Troy’s album maintains a lively juxtaposition of the flippant and frivolous way we handle life’s deeper challenges.