CD of The Week

It’s been a few years since we heard new music fromBloc Party. After they were finished supporting their previous record Intimacy, they took a little hiatus which allowed the members to work on their own side projects. After no Bloc Party material surfaced in quite some time, rumors started to fly that frontman Kele Okereke was kicked out of the band. It was reported that the other members were rehearsing new material without telling him, and that they were auditioning new singers. These rumors, thankfully, were all rubbish, and they went back in to the studio as Bloc Party in September 2011 to start recording what ultimately became their fourth record, Four.

One of Bloc Party’s biggest issues has been they’ve never been able to repeat the magic of their first record Silent Alarm. Sure, A Weekend in the City was a good record, but not great, and Intimacy, well, that took the band in a whole different direction that left many fans behind. Sadly, Four cannot compete with their debut, but that’s not to say it’s not a good effort. Vocally, Kele hasn’t lost a step, and still sounds great. Credit also has to be given because the band really mixed it up musically on this record. It’s got something for everyone. From rock songs like “So Begins the Lie” or nice slow songs like “Day Four”, which is one of the stand out tracks. They’ve also put out probably the heaviest Bloc Party songs ever recorded with “Coliseum” and “We Are Not Good People”. Heavy bass, and distorted guitars really make them sound great. Then add in some screaming that will make any emo punk band jealous, and you have a couple great hard rock songs.

While Four certainly won't reach the the chart heights of their debut, it is a record worth checking out, especially if you’re a fan, but don’t expect another Silent Alarm. Bloc Party returns to Philadelphia on September 15th at the Tower Theatre.