BLOC PARTY > A Weekend in the City

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.