Intimacy hit the virtual shelves of cyberspace last Thursday, so I thought I'd put in my two cents on the album.
To begin, if you know who Bloc Party is, you probably adore them and already own this album, but if not, I strongly suggest you check the band out in general. Intimacy's new variety opens the band up better to fans of electronica and the like, with it's freshly mixed tracks. The reason behind all of the extensive track editing probably lies in the fact that from what I've heard most of the album was written inside of the studio, unlike Silent Alarm and [most of] A Weekend In The City before it. Kele Okereke (vocals/2nd guitar) and Russell lissack (lead guitar) are both DJs, which shows in this album as they were able to really let loose with their creative styles in the sound room.
The album has some respectable range: Basing itself in some louder beat-driven electronic rock (Ares, Trojan Horse, Halo) unlike it's preceeding albums, but branching out into some rather soft familiar alternative tracks like Biko and Signs. I must say only Bloc Party could deliver so strongly inside this spread.
Though there isn't as much of an overlaying theme as in "A Weekend In The City", "Intimacy" is a very apt title since most of the songs seem to revolve around relationships. Lyrically, Kele Okereke delivers as one of the most deep and ingenious lyricists of our generation. Musically it's a clear and exciting evolution for the band. There are many subtleties added onto the multiple levels of sound that show how carefully crafted these ten songs really were.
If you're looking for something deep and edgy, or just something to blast out of your car, Intimacy has it all. Let's hope the four brits continue sharing their enormous talent and experiences in such creative ways in the future.
BLOC INSIDERS:
Familiar with bloc party? I'll give you a bit of a basis to see how the album compares to previous tracks.
1."Ares" SOUNDS LIKE "The Prayer" from A Weekend In The City (AWitC), "Helicopter" from Silent Alarm (SA), "Uniform" from AWitC
2. "Mercury" SOUNDS LIKE "The Prayer" from AWitC, "Flux" from Flux Single
3. "Halo" SOUNDS LIKE "Positive Tension" from SA, "The Once And Future King" from B sides, "Luno" from SA
4. "Biko" SOUNDS LIKE "Emma Kate's Accident" from B sides, "Rhododendrons" from B-Sides, "Kreuzberg" from AWitC, "SXRT" from AWitC
5."Trojan Horse" SOUNDS LIKE "The Prayer" from AWitC, "Helicopter" from SA, "Hunting For Witches" from AWitC
6."Signs" SOUNDS LIKE "Flux" from Flux Single, "On" from AWitC, "Uniform" from AWitC
7. "One Month Off" SOUNDS LIKE "Songs For Clay (Disappear Here)" from AWitC, [Lyrically] "Selfish Son" from B-Sides
8."Zepherus" SOUNDS LIKE "The Answer" from Bloc Party EP, "Uniform" AWitC
9."Better Than Heaven" SOUNDS LIKE "Positive Tension" from SA, "Skeleton" from Little Thoughts EP
10. "Ion Square" SOUNDS LIKE "Blue Light" from SA, "So Here We Are" from SA, "Little Thoughts" from Little Thoughts EP
Bloc Party.net reviewed each individual track in a great article on their blog/site here.
Buy Intimacy.
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