Bloc Party 2022

It’s just…

Kele’s awful lyrics and half-arsed melodies.
The disco drums sounding like it’s 2000 again.
The verse riff which sounds like something I could imagine a university band building a song around.
The incredibly forgettable chorus devoid of hooks.

I agree though, it’s impressive that they’ve managed to make a sub-3-minute song sound plodding.

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I’m not meaning to be a dick, by the way, I think Bloc Party at their peak (debut) were incredible, and agree that Four is underrated. Just finding this song does not get me excited for anything new whatsoever.

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Well ok I guess we fundamentally disagree on what plodding is. Can’t stand up for Kele’s lyrics but then I’d take nonsense (and slurping) over some of his more earnest efforts.

The verse actually reminded me of the bits of Four I don’t like.

Feels very self consciously like a band who released an album no one cared about about a couple of years ago #GoingBack2TheirRoots.

I just don’t feel much from it - partially the annoying vocals, partially the make them up as we go along lyrics, partially the retreadiness of it all.

Last year I downloaded that bootleg of all the demos (recorded to quite high quality whatever lossy format I got it in) that didn’t make Weekend in the City. They were all better than this.

Edit to say: wish they’d officially release all that stuff. Likewise look at their B-sides and singles on Spotify, most of which aren’t up there.

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Looking arsed i see. Handsome chap on the left the only one who knows how a camera works.

For clarity, i think i have Banquet on a 2000s bangers playlist. Guess it’s a low bar for being a ‘top listener’.

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I think it’s about as good as you can expect from the ol’ Bloc in 2021. Lyrics are terrible and I wish they were delivered in a more appealing way. Verse riff is pretty plain. Like Foals, they’re a band that should’ve never got their hands on distortion pedals. But I like the energy. Looking forward to hearing the rest. As a hopelessly devoted listener I will give this album more time than it maybe deserves.

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given his solo career and half the band leaving, i’m always kind of surprised that Kele still bothers with Bloc Party

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Not going to play Alexandra Palace solo is he

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I assumed his solo career hadn’t proved anywhere near as popular as Bloc Party, I’m more surprised he persists with the solo career to be honest!

Amazing the career Bloc Party have had after making like four good songs, most of which appeared on EPs before their debut came out. And Kele was always an appalling lyricist. To me, they’re a somewhat promising band who never fulfilled their potential, but they’re treated like a band with a classic debut who might recapture that magic. There’s nothing to recapture.

I enjoyed Four musically but just wished they had a different singer/lyricist and I feel the same about this. Unfortunately Kele is the weakest part of the band.

The drumming

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I’ll give you that, definitely was the best thing about them on the debut

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I like the guitars too. A good blueprint for telecaster guitars.

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Mystified how this new song could in any way be hailed as a return to their early sound or ‘greatness’. Self generated social media gaslighting.

Which is a shame as their first 4 albums were genuinely touched by greatness.

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Fucking hate this photo

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Still find it really weird that they did the whole fake “we’re looking for a new frontman… j/k!!! Bloc Party will always be the four of us” thing just before announcing Four, and then a few years later half the band had quit and been replaced with stringers

  • Silent Alarm is 10/10
  • Still go back and watch the Jools performance of Helicopter quite often, felt so fucking vital
  • AWITC is very solid, probably 7.5-8/10 and would be thought of a lot better if it didn’t open with That Song
  • Some incredible b-sides and EP tracks from those first few years
  • Handful of good tracks across the next few albums, few heartbreakers on Intimacy
  • Mercury was very fun
  • Ratchet grew on me, so annoying it becomes catchy. Great video too
  • The end
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You’ve pretty much summed that up nicely

New track is actually pretty decent, not a huge fan of the verses but like how it goes into the chorus.

Let’s face it, they will never recapture what they had - especially as only half of the original band and some of the really terrible shit they have put out to fight against. I think if this is the energy and tone of what the album is going to be I will deffo give it a listen and expect there will be 3/4 pretty good tunes on there.

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