BLOC PARTY > A Weekend in the City

Videos by American Songwriter

Bloc Party couldn’t have been under more pressure after the success of their debut, but instead of recreating Silent Alarm, they have chosen to go in a new direction without completely leaving the old behind.  Their debut offered a young guitar band with a ferocity and tension, dishing out a jerky disco punk sound. While their new album isn’t nearly as jerky, it’s not exactly Coldplay either.Label: WICHITA
[Rating: 3.5]

Bloc Party couldn’t have been under more pressure after the success of their debut, but instead of recreating Silent Alarm, they have chosen to go in a new direction without completely leaving the old behind.  Their debut offered a young guitar band with a ferocity and tension, dishing out a jerky disco punk sound. While their new album isn’t nearly as jerky, it’s not exactly Coldplay either.

Weekend in the City is a huge record, epic in scope, with a dark, mysterious and vicious quality about it. Its songs-bursting with tension, paranoia, love and sadness-make commentary on the normal day-to-day activities of living in a modern metropolis. You’ll find activities such as watching football in a park, or meeting friends for a drink after work, yet it also addresses more serious topics, such as the anti-Muslim sentiment following the most recent London bombings.

A lyrically superior, matured Bloc Party is on display here, taking a more streamlined approach and also creating a more textured, layered sound.  Standout songs include the album’s dynamic centerpiece “Uniform,” which hinges on a spastic guitar solo; “On,” the most vivid track on the album with a heart pumping, thumping manufactured beat, that flourishes with dizzying violins and a whirlwind chorus; the haunting TV on the Radio-like single “The Prayer;” and “I still Remember,” an unreal U2-esque anthem revolving around a shimmering guitar lick and brilliant drumming.  The songs on Weekend in the City are not quite as brash as Silent Alarm‘s and take a little more time to grab a hold of your heart, but give them time. Highly anticipated second releases often define a band’s career; it’s either sink or swim and let it be known Bloc Party don’t need floaties.


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