762 Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

 762 Bloc Party - Silent Alarm (2005)

Studio Album - Indie



About the Act:

Bloc Party are an Indie band from London, who, being formed in 1999, were maybe a bit late to be labelled Britpop, but have a sound quite like Britpop.  They have had members, various, and albums, five. They have been liked by critics but not stellar in sales.

About the Album:

This was the debut album of the band.

My History with this Album:

None.

Review:

I had heard of Bloc Party but had assumed they were hip-hop. I was wrong. This is kind of britpoppy rock, with similarities to Blur and suchlike, but possibly more similarities to later rock like The Killers and that crowd. The singer sounds like Brandon Flowers, and also like Robert Smith of The Cure. 

The music is mostly energetic rock, with the drums and bass featuring strongly, and rightly. The drum patterns and bass lines are generally quite interesting, which gives a strong musical backbone, with some more predictable guitar work, mostly of the jangly rather than the crunchy type. There is a feeling of life and urgency to it that I liked, and arrangements are quite inventive, so I liked that too. 

The singing adds to the urgency, with decent delivery and an appropriate intensity. The words are expressive, verging on the poetic, so that was something else to like. All in all, this ticked a few "like" categories, and I liked it. It surprises me somewhat that they have not been more popular, as they stand apart slightly from the Snow Patrol/Killers/Radiohead ilk. Maybe they stand too far apart.

I thought it was mostly a good album. I was less taken with the slower tracks which did just feel like Coldplay.

7.6/10


Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/4KeTvCYCel3Ky58FirciWp

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bloc+party+silent+alarm+full+album

Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silent_Alarm



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