Kaleo is an Icelandic band made up of friends from a small town outside of the capital of Reykjavik. They’ve had a lot of success since forming in 2012 and they’ve also moved to the U.S., spending time in Austin, Texas, and now Nashville, Tennessee. One can hear the influence of iconic American music from the Mississippi Delta, New Orleans, Chicago and elsewhere baked into their sound.
Bands like the Lumineers and Mumford & Sons have reintroduced some of the elements of folk music back into pop and Kaleo is following on that path, with resonator guitars, stomps, bluesy slurs and moans. There’s plenty of rock combustion and muscle, too, like on “No Good,” the opener of their debut album. And yet one of their breakthrough songs was an old Icelandic ballad sung in Icelandic.
Frontman JJ Julius Son is broodingly handsome, enough to probably have a side career as a model or an actor. And the band’s songs have been used a lot in television and movies, but they don’t seem to be too involved in getting their music placed in shows or commercials. Fans of blues-tinged rock bands like Jet and the Black Keys or pop shredders like John Mayer will find plenty to enjoy in Kaleo.
Kaleo plays The Dome at Toyota Presents Oakdale Theater, 95 S. Turnpike Road, Wallingford, on Friday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $30. 203-265-1501, livenation.com.
