Bloc Party - Intimacy
By Nick Manteris · 0 Comments · Leave a Comment
The new Bloc Party album, Intimacy, won’t be available on CD until the end of October, but if you know where to look you can find it online right now. Actually, it’s been available digitally on the Bloc Party website since August and one of the packages will allow you to download the album now and then get the CD when it comes out. The physical copy of Intimacy is rumored to have different tracks than the mp3 version, but I could not find that information on the order form.
The album starts off with “Ares,” an almost perfectly unlistenable chaotic barrage of noise that assaults from all directions. “Mercury” continues the electronic experimentation with too many vocal samples and would be completely skippable except for the awesome rolling bass sounds that probably deserve to be in some kind of dance remix. “Biko” is another song that just doesn’t work for me…it’s peppered with more vocal samples and builds up without taking off. Fortunately, they are able to successfully blend their new electronic sound with their old sound on “Halo,” “Trojan Horse” and “One Month Off” and all three of those tracks groove with a familiar raw energy. They also provide a very listenable break from rocking out with the hypnotically mellow “Signs” and the experimental “Zephyrus” which pushes the envelope in a direction that will hopefully be revisited in the future.
- Score
- 53%
Intimacy is a better than average album, but it lacks a truly exceptional song. A Weekend in the City and Silent Alarm had several each, and in this case, hopefully they’re saving the good stuff for the physical CD. Several of the new songs are on MySpace/BlocParty and their official site (click the picture to the right) has the video for what will eventually be the second single, “Talons,” the only piece of evidence that supports my “saving the best for last” theory.
