Track Listing

1. Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
2. Hunting For Witches
3. Waiting For The 7:18
4. Prayer, The
5. Uniform
6. On
7. Where Is Home?
8. Kreuzberg
9. I Still Remember
10. Sunday
11. SRXT

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #5386 in Music
• Released on: 2007-02-06
• Number of discs: 1

Album Description
The follow-up to their smash debut, "Silent Alarm", is every bit as bright, powerful, and catchy, with the addition of more muscle, attitude, depth, and a bit of polish courtesy of their producer, Jacknife Lee (U2, Snow Patrol). Inspired by lead singer Kele Okereke's interest in what he calls "the living noise of a metropolis", this record captures every detail of daily life in a modern city from the ebullient to the mundane. From the quiet desolation of commuting to casual sex, from going out on a Friday night to the long ride home early in the morning, these are songs desperate to understand the meaning that pulses under the moments of our every day.

Amazon.com
Bloc Party may have arrived in an outbreak of like-minded British bands set upon shooting holes in the Union Jack while knocking out a sharp post-punk soundtrack, but it didn't take long for the foursome to set itself apart from the pack. Fronted by Nigerian-born singer Kele Okereke, the group's 2005 debut, Silent Alarm, soared as much on crystal ambition as it did on ridiculously danceable pop melodies. This follow-up is darker, more cluttered, and harder to digest. That doesn't make it less striking. Exploring themes of racism, terrorism, sexuality, addiction, and death--the usual fodder for a cosmopolitan three-day bender--Weekend in the City is an album that plays to Bloc Party's strengths: tempo-shifting rhythms, inventive art-rock arrangements, and lyrics that twist and turn on a whim. "The Prayer" and "Uniform" are particular standouts, capturing moments when Okereke lets self-importance fade and majestic beats take charge. --Aidin Vaziri

Customer Reviews

Bold New Directions
Wow, you've got to hand it to these guys for such a bold move. Gone are the stiff, jerky rhythms; spastic guitar riffs; and terse shouts that dominate their indie-rock scene and catalyzed their rise to fame on singles like "Helicopter."

Gone, in fact, are the singles altogether. Instead, Bloc Party has given birth to what has, in the new millenium, become a rare specimen: an album that's meant to be heard collectively, as an album. But doesn't this fly in the face of the music industry's current assumptions? With the event of file sharing, the development of the Ipod, etc. isn't there much less of a market for this kind of thing? Evidently, Bloc Party doesn't care a tick.

And after all, youthful non-conformity seems to be the spirit of the record. Its words are a stew of strung out reflections, accusations, and critiques covering love, libertinism, political fear mongering, drugs, and of course apathetic mall-going drones. Musically, it rejects the formula of the band's (former?) peers, which derive from the late 70s'-early 80s' alternative bands like Gang of Four, the Talking Heads, and (early) Cure. Instead it goes for the theatrical, taking cues from, for example, eighties metal bands (don't try to tell me you couldn't mistake the intro to "Hunting for Witches" for a techno remix of "Crazy Train"); also early 90's alternative and some of the more recent post-punk, screamo, and neo-prog groups come to mind. All this, of course, on top of jungle beats and an overarching punk rock sensibility.

Perhaps a more subtle and unlikely though is a hint of Bruce Springsteen (Just hear me out!) on songs like "I Still Remember" and "Sunday." Here we have two songs with lyrics about being young, looking at society from the margins, and being in love. They are sung over persistent, chime arpeggios, wall-of-sound instrumentation, and steady break beats. I can't help but think I'm hearing the dance club version of "Born to Run." And don't get me wrong, I think it works, especially thanks to Okereke's persistent themes of disaffectedness and dissent throughout the album.

Perhaps, as we move further along into the decade, the indie rock scene is ready to make this kind of album a success. Or maybe it came too early for the tipping point and will fade into obscurity. Either way, I think it took strength, sincerity, and creativity to put out something like this, and for my money, it's a good record.

Lyrical Excellence and Song: Thank you Bloc Party
This album is a huge leap ahead for fans of Bloc Party. It is a concept album based on the isolation and lonliness that a big city brings, especially to twentysomethings. Kele Okereke, the bands lead singer has not left room for ambiguity in his lyrics, and that makes them all the more powerful. Bloc Party has created a record, not just a hit song which is so prominent in Top 40. Hats off to Bloc Party for superb songwriting and deliberate and meaningful lyrics.

Second album... The gamble?
Bloc Party is an indie rock quartet from South London. Their debut album Silent Alarm was released in 2005, and was very well received by consumers and critics alike. With the spotlight on them, how would they respond with their sophomore effort?
This album definitely has a more somber tone than their previous one. Bloc Party has chosen to describe life in London as the main topic for this album. Occasionally they mention a few high points, but most of what they describe are feelings of loneliness and depression. They touch on some pretty heavy topics, including homophobia and racism. It makes for an album that is much less brash than Silent Alarm. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. There are several good tracks on the album, such as The Prayer, I Still Remember, and Waiting for the 7:18. The biggest issues with the album are that the riffs performed sound very, very similar from song to song, and the songs themselves seem to follow a very predictable pattern of whispered verses followed by big choruses.
Overall, this is a decent follow-up to their debut, depending on what you're looking for. The mood and topics covered might become a bit too much of a downer for some people, and others who enjoyed their 1st album might be disappointed by the fact that the group seems to be much more predictable on this album. But, if you can get by those issues, there is some solid music to be found.