Identity-Confused Indie Rockers: A Review of Bloc Party’s Weekend in the City
by Sally Feller

2.5 Beatles* 

My first listen to Bloc Party’s sophomore album Weekend in the City got me really excited. I was raving to people I know about them, though most had already heard their single “I Still Remember” on the radio. I’m told that “Entourage” played their big UK hit “Banquet” on one ep, so some of you may be familiar with that song, too. When I first heard I was writing a review of their new CD I saw some kids on the subway reading The Boston Phoenix. Who was on the front page, you ask? That’s right: Bloc Party. Clearly, they’re starting to get pretty big here in America.

Bloc Party has had numerous names in the UK: The Angel Range, Diet, Union, and (my favorite) The Superheroes of BMX. I can’t seem to find a straight answer about why they dropped the “k” in their name; some people say that it’s a political move (echoing the Soviet Bloc or the Canadian political party Bloc Québécois—which I have never heard of; please excuse my American ignorance). Other sources, including the band themselves on their official site, say that it’s purely aesthetic, though one member says it “may be political”?? ‘Tis an enigma, indeed.

Regardless of their political stance, Bloc Party is a welcome reprieve from a lot of music on the indie rock scene, which is beginning to sound a little uniform (sort of defeats the purpose entirely, doesn’t it?) These guys sound like some of the good 80s bands, which of course, are back in style, such as The Cure and, dare I say it, Depeche Mode? Weekend in the City nicely blends some dance-pop sounds with great guitar/drum/rock action. Rest assured all of you folks that are scared off by the word “pop”, Bloc Party would be put into the rock genre in your local record store.

After about the third time through this record, I started getting a little bit annoyed with the lead singer, Kele Okereke’s, voice. At first it’s a really fresh sounding voice, but after listening to a few of the songs I realized that he doesn’t have much range at all. It’s a cool voice, don’t get me wrong, but the songs are on the verge of sounding too similar to each other. Okereke has such a distinctive voice that it almost cannibalizes itself.

Luckily, they do nicely mix the songs so that the tempo changes don’t let the record fall into the all-these-songs-sound-the-same trap. Also, some of the songs (“Hunting for Witches” and “The Prayer” in particular) monopolize on a lovely mix of Okereke’s voice and frequent tempo changes that balance each other. In fact, the strongest element about Weekend in the City is the gutsy beat changes mid-song. It takes quite a few listens in order to predict what the next note will be, which of course piques the interest of the listener (and probably infuriates the person making an idiot of himself while trying to sing along).

Musically, the band does a fine job of blending an often aggressive rock sound with more esoteric elements.  Thrown into the mix are some pretty hardcore guitar riffs, piano, keyboards, light vocals, and sweet lyrics. There’s also a bit of computerized, techno noise going on, hence the similarities to Depeche Mode and The Cure. Keep in mind that in my opinion, computerized, techno noise is good.

I know I’m always harping on and on about the importance of good lyrics, but I fully believe lyrics can make or break a band. Perhaps that stems from the slew of creative writing classes I took to get my ever-useful Creative Writing degree, but good lyrics certainly couldn’t hurt, right? Now, when I hear lyrics like “Clinging to her bible and her scapula/And memories of the way things were/I can’t see hope/I cannot smile/
I just burn with anger all the time” (from “Where is Home?”) I sort of cringe. They’re not terrible lyrics, mind you, it’s just that this song really focuses on the lyrics in time for us to hear the awkward sounding line about bibles and scapulas. And what could possibly rhyme with “scapula”? In terms of lyrics, I’m torn. They’re a bit above midline. Actually, they’re way above midline if we count Fergie, Justin Timberlake, Beyonce, or Nelly Furtado so I guess I can’t whine too much.

On the opposite end of the spectrum, there’s the incredible song “The Prayer.” The lyrics demonstrate the insecurities we all feel, however irrational. The song speaks to our generation: one that questions tradition and the whether or not wanting and desiring really is evil and selfish after all. “Lord, give me grace and dancing feet/And the power to impress/Lord, give me grace and dancing feet/Let me outshine them all/Is it so wrong to crave recognition?” starts this song off, speaking right to the human instinct to want to be acknowledged and to be the best. The beat is catchy and the chorus is easy to learn and yell, much to your neighbors’ chagrin.

Another shining song is “Sunday,” which is a romantic tune, or at least it’s romantic to the eternal cynic. True love is indeed described here in the song’s chorus: “I love you in the morning/When you're still hung over/I love you in the morning/When you're still strung out”. Okay, no, you won’t find this on the soundtrack of Disney’s “Cinderella”, but you’ll find it on the bathroom stall of your favorite pub, I’m certain. And isn’t that where the best love notes are written after all? “Sunday” basically describes the weekend of most young people: “Heavy night, it was a heavy night/I cannot remember what I said to anyone/If we get up now, we can catch the afternoon/Watch the under15's playing football in the park/Let’s sit in St Leonard's on this alcoholic day/We're doing the best, with what we've got.”

Overall, a great album. Lots of solid indie rock here with hints of some great older pop/rock from the 80s. And, well, how could a person not love 80s music, if not the fashion? Look out for their next single “Song for Clay (Disappear Here)” which will soon be blowing up your local alt-rock stations.

*Editors Note: To score albums or concert performances, LostWriters has adopted the Beatle System. The number of “Beatles” an artist receives correlates to the number of Beatles that would show up at a party hosted by the artist in question. The ratings are as follows:

1 Beatle: Ringo will come to your party because, hell, Ringo will go anywhere he’s actually invited. If an artist gets the dreaded “Half-Beatle,” Ringo will still show up to the party, but he’ll have sex with the lead singer’s spouse and possibly his or her children.

2 Beatles: Ringo will persuade Paul to join him at the band’s party by reminding Paul of the incriminating photos he still has from Paul's “I just want to dress like a wee girl phase.” If an artist receives 1.5 beatles, Paul will not be able to attend, but he will send a lovely fruit basket and several photos of himself. (Additional fees required for autographed photos.)

3 Beatles: Not only will Ringo and Paul come, but George Harrison will use his mystical powers to reincarnate himself from the dead just to attend this artist’s fete. If an artist receives 2.5 Beatles, George won’t be able to make it, but he’ll telepathically contact Ravi Shanker and ask him to go in his stead. For an extra fee, Ravi can teach the entire band how to play the sitar.

4 Beatles: You get the full quartet. This rating is reserved for works of true artistic genius, because it means Yoko has to let John out of that attic she’s been keeping him in all these years, and he’s going to be pretty surprised to find out there wasn’t a nuclear holocaust. If an artist receives 3.5 Beatles, Yoko will send Sean Lennon and two kilos of blow instead.     

March 19, 2007