mass culture

Originally printed in Jan 12th’s Daily Nebraskan

Politics. Blame. Sex. Drugs. Break beats.

That’s a strange combination of words to describe “A Weekend In The City,” the sophomore release from English rock outfit Bloc Party, but each is fully applicable.

Following 2005’s “Silent Alarm,” and a few strikingly similar singles in 2006, Bloc Party was expected to release another hook-heavy guitar rock album with an uncontroversial amount of social commentary. However, “Weekend” portrays the exact opposite.

Charged with political messages and guitarist Kele Okereke’s emotions, struggles and blatant opinion, the record is much more powerful and deeply intimate when compared with “Silent Alarm.”

Musically, it’s just as different. Bloc Party has abandoned their clean, concise sound and moved to a more live, natural sound while experimenting with the spatial aspects of music. Synths and atmospheric noise dominates the record, cutting down on guitars and allowing a much fuller and more complicated structure.

Album opener “Song for Clay” begins slowly with Okereke’s gentle singing, which is at its strongest. In crescendo fashion, the track moves from section to section seamlessly. The 1979 style bass lines and forceful, fast- moving drums in “Death From Above” prevail over countless layers of sound and lyrics of longing for competence, reiterated throughout the record. Synth-heavy first single “The Prayer” asks “Is it so wrong to crave recognition?”

“Hunting for Witches,” a beat-heavy track with guitars similar to 2004’s “Staying Fat,” discusses the worldwide hunt for terrorists with a vivid image of terrified citizens.

Okereke’s search for a home and his widely discussed sexual orientation also appears in the record’s lyrics.

“I Still Remember,” a simple pop song similar to “New Order,” tells of a love for a boy and asks what could’ve been. On “SXRT,” a slow, spacey lament reminiscent of Brian Eno’s “By This River,” he sings, “They say it’s not becoming for a boy my age,” speaking of his situation and the pressure it has caused.

The anti-”Silent Alarm,” “Weekend In the City,” is the album Bloc Party needed to release. In only 51 minutes, they have managed to avoid any sophomoric slump and have completely redefined themselves in a mostly positive way that their fans should love. A move like this was unexpected but ultimately worthwhile.