Bloc Party

By Patrick Gosnell

WHEN: 2003 – present

CULPRITS: Kele Okereke (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Russell Lissack (lead guitar), Gordon Moakes (bass, synths, backing vocals), Matt Tong (drums)

ALBUMS: Silent Alarm (2005); A Weekend in the City (2007); Intimacy (2008)

HOW: I remember being introduced to Bloc Party the same way I was introduced to a lot of my favorite bands, by 99-X, a great alternative rock station in Atlanta. I heard the song “Positive Tension” and immediately had to know who this band was.  99-x also lent me another helping hand by giving away tickets to their first show at the Tabernacle (my favorite venue in Atlanta), which I won!  Their show was one of the most energetic experiences I have ever been to, emanating from both the band and the crowd.  It solidified my love for the band, and I immediately scooped up their next two albums the day they were released.

WHY: Being a drummer, I instinctively connected with Matt Tong’s explosiveness behind the set.  But it was seeing Bloc Party play live that gave me a complete appreciation for the band’s diversity.  Lissack’s guitar soars and dives like a kamikaze pilot, and Okereke’s lyrics, while sometimes awkward, show a true willingness to give his listeners a glimpse behind his stolid exterior.  Many people have expressed distaste for the band’s ever-expanding range of musical styles, but I view their progression as one that fits perfectly with the increasingly fast-paced vibe of the 21st century.

SONGS: With only three albums under their belt, and a propensity for keeping their songs under the 5-minute mark, I was able to get most of the good stuff on here.  The first three songs showcase the fast-paced angularity that they bust onto the alt-rock scene with a few years ago, and are rounded out by some of the sickest drumming to be recorded in 2008 with “Better Than Heaven” (watch this).  The middle of the album compares and contrasts Bloc Party’s multitude of experimental styles, from the tenderness of “Sunday” to the electronically-tinged “Talons“.  The CD is capped by “Flux”, their most remix-y song to date (check out the awesome video here) and the soaring, hopeful and lovely “So Here We Are“.  As a side note, if you want to see all of Bloc Party’s wonderfully creative music videos, click here.

LINK: Click on the list below to see the 80MFL iMix, where you can listen to samples, download what sounds good, or get the whole thing!

~ by Brad East on August 17, 2009.