Late to the Bloc Party

[Floex]

The download-only version of Intimacy is missing some songs that will be on the "physical" release in October, and one of them has made its way onto the radio. It's called "Talons" and it's... well... alright.

Leaving songs off one release to ensure more copies sold for the other (many fans will presumably buy both in the end to get the extra tracks on the CD) is an interesting strategy.

The song is pretty good. I was worried they might start to use the same riffs but this one suprised me. Defintely adds to the album. Here's hoping more song of this caliber

[Floex]

The download-only version of Intimacy is missing some songs that will be on the "physical" release in October, and one of them has made its way onto the radio. It's called "Talons" and it's... well... alright.

Leaving songs off one release to ensure more copies sold for the other (many fans will presumably buy both in the end to get the extra tracks on the CD) is an interesting strategy.

The song is pretty good. I was worried they might start to use the same riffs but this one suprised me. Defintely adds to the album. Here's hoping more song of this caliber

[LittleJoe]

I really don't like Talons. And Intimacy is depressingly average.

They just don't seem to know what they want to do with themselves, it's all so bloated, like they just throw a dozen under cooked ideas at all of their songs nowdays.

[LittleJoe]

There's now a video for Talons too.

[LittleJoe]

Jesus Christ. Did anyone catch them on Jools Holland? Mercury is still a complete joke live and Kele has started wearing a thick gold necklace and baseball cap.

[Streets_Disciple]

Yes, because the only thing that really sets this band apart from all the other indie shite that more or less sounds the same is the ethnicity of the lead singer.

Nothing to do with making a brilliant first album.

[GViper]

Now compare the above performance from Jools of 'Like Eating Glass' to this one, at the recent lollapalooza gigs in the US.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ii8GR4wCQ7Q...feature=related

Awful in comparison. His voice has definitely gone wrong. And he has no presence anymore.

My views on the new album are mixed. Some stuff is alright, but mercury really is trash.

[superpretend]

I think Mercury is the best thing on the album. That's how fucking bad it is.

[Streets_Disciple]

Bollocks, Mercury is one of the weakest. Ion Square, Zephyrus, Ares, Better Than Heaven, Halo and Biko are all solid tracks, just give it time.

[Guest]

I am nervous to touch this album, although I probably prefer a Weekend to Silent Alarm. I am guessing that there are some good songs on this still? It can't be an unmitigated disaster?

[LittleJoe]

It's very bad. There are some OK songs on it.

It's just a really absurd and moronic album. Kele's voice is so grating and uber yelpy. Most of the songs have a decent 'base' to them, but they're just ruined by numerous layers of ill advised inventiveness for the sake of ill advised inventiveness.

[Guest]

So basically, my barge pole isn't long enough.

[LittleJoe]

So basically, my barge pole isn't long enough.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00f3...s_33_Episode_6/

See for yourself at 51:40. It just seems like Kele is forcing the band to try new stuff when they're clearing not comfortable doing it.

And he sings and gestures like such a cunt.

[the_debaser]

The album isn't quite as bad as the last one, but it's nowhere near as good as Silent Alarm.

I think he's wearing that baseball cap because he's embarrased of his Jason Lee haircut.

[Landshead]

I agree with Debaser, its much better than A weekend in the city. I actually like the new album, and Mercury has grown on me and even sounded good live at Leeds Festival.

The album is nowhere near as brilliant as Silent alarm.

[ben-k]

Agreed, people slagging off Bloc Party is getting boring now. Even if the new stuff isn't as good as Silent Alarm, it's still better than most things.

Talons is a grower of epic proportions.

[Eighthours]

The trouble is, they've got several Bloc Party "staples" that are in almost every bloody song now. The wiry guitar line that sounds exactly the same. The Kele yelping. The Kele note progressions. Some of the tracks on the new album could have been spat out from a Bloc-Party-mix-em-up machine. They're just not the same band they were during the Silent Alarm days, and it saddens me.

[LittleJoe]

Agreed, people slagging off Bloc Party is getting boring now.

What does this even mean? Should there be a counter movement, praising everything that they've done, just to make things more exciting?

Intimacy is a disappointingly average album from a band who could do better. Since Silent Alarm they've produced very little of genuine value. Kele has completely hi-jacked the band to either push his long winded and clunky social commentaries into. Or to act as a outlet for his ill-thought out desire to make Bloc Party 'a band you can dance to'. When the irony is, most of the stuff off Silent Alarm was inherently more danceable than anything on Intimacy.

After A Weekend in the City, the worse thing they could of done was to rush out an album of half baked and underdeveloped ideas in 12 months.

[Loik V credern]

New track. Not really news.

It's shit, and exactly the same shit, but at least they're keeping people up to date with how shit they still are.

Zane Lowe too.

If that was like someone just threw up on your face then this is a song I quite like from them

Russel's duo side project Pin Me Down did a remix of Ares and turns it into how it should sound if they're going in that direction. Everyone in the world seems to remix Bloc Party.

[DC Lemon]

That new track. "Give me one more chance, give me one more chance, give me one more chance... Can't you see that I'm trying? ... This time things will be different..."

Sorry, Kele, I've given you enough chances and you never take them. With regret...

[Stanley]

What is with that guys wedge hairdo? It wasn't fashionable when he had it three years ago. This is how you wear a wedge, you cunt.

[superpretend]

New track. Not really news.

It's shit, and exactly the same shit, but at least they're keeping people up to date with how shit they still are.

Zane Lowe too.

Better than anything off Intimacy. But that's not saying much.

The comments right at the end are completely though.

[Eighthours]

Again, same yelps in the chorus and overly familiar "melody". I put it in speech marks because the chorus is pretty tuneless and Kele's note progressions are practically identical to those in loads of other recent Bloc Party material. The "As you will see-ee" progression must be in at least 5 other post-Silent Alarm Bloc Party songs. Someone should find all the bits and stick them on Youtube.

I like the piano, mind. Bit old school.

[Streets_Disciple]

I think Bloc Party are done.

[LittleJoe]

They have been consistently declining since Silent Alarm. It wouldn't surprise me if the band broke up sometime in the near future, either, what with what appears to be Kele dragging the band in the direction he wants to take it in.

[SpaceJump]

New album streaming from there site Bloc Party Four

[Razzle]

On first listen I like it and that's unusual for me and a Bloc Party album. I loved the first two albums but with both I was unsure about them until I had given them a few plays.

Kele still the weakest link but the guitar riffs and pounding beats are back. Sounds a lot closer to their first two albums than I was expecting (which is really positive in my book).

A bit of a return to form and I think I'll be buying it

[Floex]

The new album is fantastic! Infact, I would say this has some of the heaviest stuff they have done aswell as keeping the sweetness of Silent Alarm, a real return to form

[GViper]

I've only heard their single, thought it bobbed along and went absolutely nowhere. Is the album better?

[ckny]

I've downloaded two copies of the album and on both the single Octopus opens with a few seconds of breathing. Is that how it's supposed to be..?