If all goes to plan, the new Bloc Party album will sit snugly on my hard drive in a little under nine hours. What's more, I'm pretty excited. LP2 didn't really have anything on the modern indie classic that is Silent Alarm (at least as far as I'm concerned), but "Flux" was a fun and thoroughly danceable twist on the regular BP formula. "Mercury" made me frown at first - are Kele and co. merely being experimental for the hell of it? Then I remembered that Kid A is a strong contender for Radiohead's best album, and a few listens later the new single grew on me.
As a result of all that, I'm confident that the new album should be damned good. Bloc Party wouldn't be the first band to hit upon a masterpiece with their third LP, but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself..
As before, I'm not so sure about the title (Intimacy), but hey, with previous titles like "Waiting for the 7.18" I guess I should just be grateful we didn't get something like "I love romance and tenderness but isn't it just so hard to get it right in this suffocating modern culture?" The post title is a suggestion for Intimacy's liner notes. Believe me, I am emphatically not a member of the BNP, and in fact would be all too happy with such a bold-faced statement.
Anyway, since I've been listening to a whole lot of Bloc Party the last couple of days in preparation, I figured I'd knock up a quick list of 5 of their best songs. Not in order, 'cos that's just too bloody hard to decide. If somehow you've never heard these folks, I recommend you start with these.
Ahem, you may have figured out I like lists by now.
"Helicopter" (from Silent Alarm)
The first Bloc Party track I heard, and a perfect example of a song I initially found irritating becoming a favourite. Some people reckon it's about George W. Bush, but I'm not so sure about that. Political subtext aside, it's a storming track with awesome, quirky guitar lines. Great fun to sing along to as well.
However, I could love this track 'til the day I die and I doubt I'd ever crack it on Guitar Hero.
"Flux" (standalone release, later included on a re-release of A Weekend in the City)
I guess Kele and pals (I'm running out of different ways to say Bloc Party, so guess I may as well use up awesome foursome now before I embarass myself) got tired of twisting drums and guitars into tracks you can move to, and instead opted for a full-blown dance number. Luckily, they pulled it off with aplomb, and also achieved the admirable feat of changing their entire instrumentation while retaining their signature sound.
Lyrically, "Flux" is fairly standard stuff. On the instrumental front however, it's sublime. A 4-minute adrenaline rush that practically demands you to get jumpin'.
"SRXT" (from A Weekend in the City)
Being a big fan of Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Bright Eyes and the like, I've been accused more than once of being into depressing music. I'm never been quite witty or clever enough to come back with anything more than mumbling "hmm, well they're only depressing if you don't listen to them properly.." However, there's no denying that the closing track of AWitC is a thoroughly morbid and downbeat affair. That's right folks, it's about suicide! Tricky territory to cover without sounding overwrought or, at worst, whiny (I do love a bit of alliteration). Bloc Party's effort is instead sparse and lonely, featuring some of their most affecting lyrics to date.
"This Modern Love" (from Silent Alarm)
I chastised Kele Okereke earlier for going down the romance route in his lyrics a little too often. On the other hand, he can do it very well indeed on songs such as this. Further proof that Bloc Party are very handy indeed at getting more from less, "This Modern Love" gently teases out a tale of frustration with modern romance. Accompanied by drums and guitar slowly building, the layers of instrumentation stack, then finally collapse. "This modern love breaks me". He's given up.
"So Here We Are" (from Silent Alarm)
My only problem with what I consider to be the highlight of Silent Alarm, is that it sets such a high benchmark that it can be hard to enjoy the following three tracks. Such is my love for this song that I firmly believe it could be a contender for my Desert Island Discs. I'll never detail the others in the same post, as I'd run out of superlatives fast.
Often I find it hard to accurately describe why a song is among my favourites without resorting to woolly stuff like "oh, well this song just soothes my soul" (a very difficult sentiment to pull off in everyday conversation without sounding like a complete and utter twat). However, it's pretty simple here. Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands, and "So Here We Are" displays them at their best. Spare, abstract lyrics, Kele's voice at his strongest yet most delicate, thickly atmospheric, layered guitars, and a beautiful culmination of all these elements at the close.
Plus, it provided the basis for a quite excellent remix by Four Tet.
Yawn, I'm really quite tired. Hope the post was enjoyable. I'll be away from teh internets over the weekend, but will hopefully have time to digest the new album over several bus and train journeys, and will post my thoughts next week. Fingers crossed they'll be uber-positive.
Until next time!
As a result of all that, I'm confident that the new album should be damned good. Bloc Party wouldn't be the first band to hit upon a masterpiece with their third LP, but perhaps I'm getting ahead of myself..
As before, I'm not so sure about the title (Intimacy), but hey, with previous titles like "Waiting for the 7.18" I guess I should just be grateful we didn't get something like "I love romance and tenderness but isn't it just so hard to get it right in this suffocating modern culture?" The post title is a suggestion for Intimacy's liner notes. Believe me, I am emphatically not a member of the BNP, and in fact would be all too happy with such a bold-faced statement.
Anyway, since I've been listening to a whole lot of Bloc Party the last couple of days in preparation, I figured I'd knock up a quick list of 5 of their best songs. Not in order, 'cos that's just too bloody hard to decide. If somehow you've never heard these folks, I recommend you start with these.
Ahem, you may have figured out I like lists by now.
"Helicopter" (from Silent Alarm)
The first Bloc Party track I heard, and a perfect example of a song I initially found irritating becoming a favourite. Some people reckon it's about George W. Bush, but I'm not so sure about that. Political subtext aside, it's a storming track with awesome, quirky guitar lines. Great fun to sing along to as well.
However, I could love this track 'til the day I die and I doubt I'd ever crack it on Guitar Hero.
"Flux" (standalone release, later included on a re-release of A Weekend in the City)
I guess Kele and pals (I'm running out of different ways to say Bloc Party, so guess I may as well use up awesome foursome now before I embarass myself) got tired of twisting drums and guitars into tracks you can move to, and instead opted for a full-blown dance number. Luckily, they pulled it off with aplomb, and also achieved the admirable feat of changing their entire instrumentation while retaining their signature sound.
Lyrically, "Flux" is fairly standard stuff. On the instrumental front however, it's sublime. A 4-minute adrenaline rush that practically demands you to get jumpin'.
"SRXT" (from A Weekend in the City)
Being a big fan of Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Bright Eyes and the like, I've been accused more than once of being into depressing music. I'm never been quite witty or clever enough to come back with anything more than mumbling "hmm, well they're only depressing if you don't listen to them properly.." However, there's no denying that the closing track of AWitC is a thoroughly morbid and downbeat affair. That's right folks, it's about suicide! Tricky territory to cover without sounding overwrought or, at worst, whiny (I do love a bit of alliteration). Bloc Party's effort is instead sparse and lonely, featuring some of their most affecting lyrics to date.
"This Modern Love" (from Silent Alarm)
I chastised Kele Okereke earlier for going down the romance route in his lyrics a little too often. On the other hand, he can do it very well indeed on songs such as this. Further proof that Bloc Party are very handy indeed at getting more from less, "This Modern Love" gently teases out a tale of frustration with modern romance. Accompanied by drums and guitar slowly building, the layers of instrumentation stack, then finally collapse. "This modern love breaks me". He's given up.
"So Here We Are" (from Silent Alarm)
My only problem with what I consider to be the highlight of Silent Alarm, is that it sets such a high benchmark that it can be hard to enjoy the following three tracks. Such is my love for this song that I firmly believe it could be a contender for my Desert Island Discs. I'll never detail the others in the same post, as I'd run out of superlatives fast.
Often I find it hard to accurately describe why a song is among my favourites without resorting to woolly stuff like "oh, well this song just soothes my soul" (a very difficult sentiment to pull off in everyday conversation without sounding like a complete and utter twat). However, it's pretty simple here. Bloc Party are one of my favourite bands, and "So Here We Are" displays them at their best. Spare, abstract lyrics, Kele's voice at his strongest yet most delicate, thickly atmospheric, layered guitars, and a beautiful culmination of all these elements at the close.
Plus, it provided the basis for a quite excellent remix by Four Tet.
Yawn, I'm really quite tired. Hope the post was enjoyable. I'll be away from teh internets over the weekend, but will hopefully have time to digest the new album over several bus and train journeys, and will post my thoughts next week. Fingers crossed they'll be uber-positive.
Until next time!
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