God Bless Bloc Party.

So I’ve decided since music could possibly be my most favorite thing in the world, I would start reviewing some of my favorite artists and others that I Stumbleupon. I chose Bloc Party as my first band because they are the reason I got on the indie scene. I probably wouldn’t have the friends I do or be at the position I am at if weren’t for Bloc Party. Therefore I must hold them high.

 

Brief History:

Bloc Party is a British dance rock band. The members include Kele Okereke (vocals, rhythm guitar), Gordon Moakes (bass guitar, backup vocals), Matt Tong (drums, backup vocals), and Russel Lissack (lead guitar). The band is under Vice Records, Wichita, and V2 labels. The band started in 1999 with Lissack and Okereke. In 2003, they released a demo to Franz Ferdinand’s lead Alex Kopranos and hit it big. The title of the song in the demo was “She’s Hearing Voices”.

 

In 2005, Bloc Party released their first album, Silent Alarm, which made NME’s album of the year. They then released another album of remixes of Silent Alarm, and in 2007 they released A Weekend in the City. This album was a pleasant transition from a harder, more dance-y (yes, dance-y) beat, to a softer more indie-rock beat with mellow songs that (no pun intended) flux into a harder more rock beat near the end to middle of some of the tracks on the album. Then Bloc Party brought attention to the dance scene with their EP in 2008 entitled Flux. It contained the album version along with some remixes. People were hesitant to purchase this EP because of Silent Alarm Remixed lack of popularity. Surprisingly, Flux was a huge success. Finally, their most recent album, Intimacy, was releasing in late October, 2008. Which again was mostly indie-dance music.

 

My Take:

Bloc Party could possibly be one of the greatest band alive, this is said more sentimentally than it is truthfully. I have a great history with Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City, and they bring back good memories. But sentiments aside, Bloc Party is a great band not only because they’ve covered every genre and indie kid could ever want, but because they do it well. They really put time and effort into their music and didn’t just bull shit some drum beats and guitar chords. Their music is moving and easy to dance to, they always keep people on their feet. Their a band who hasn’t made it mainstream in the US, which is a good thing, but in the UK they are giant. I would definitely recommend checking this band out, whether you check them out at their website:http://www.blocparty.com/, their Youtube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/user/blocpartyofficial?blend=1, or just go out and buy their albums! They can be found at Best Buy or any underground record store. Give them a listen and tell me what you think!

live loud

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