The "problem" with putting out a really good first album straight off the bat--as Bloc Party has, I'm sure, discovered--is that when you decide to switch things up after, oh, let's say your third and, for argument's sake, very electronic third album, the by and large assumption is going to go something like, "Oh, I guess they're going to go back to their classic [insert album title here] sound. Cool!" While it's true that, yes, Bloc Party has abandoned Intimacy's ascetic electronic sheen in a big, bad, bold way on appropriately titled follow-up Four (out August 21), they've also driven the car so far off the beaten path, you can't help but think, "Do these guys know where they're going with this? How and why do I feel so taken aback, bewildered and thrilled all in the same moment?"
| Bloc Party Unveil New Single "Octopus" Via Mollusk-Free Video |
All the Bloc Party trademarks are firmly in place, from the aggressively choppy post-punk guitar rhythms to the wry, very English sense of humor delivered via Kele Okereke's simultaneously sensual and "touch me and I'll clobber you" vocals… but it's all been deconstructed and reassembled into a Frankstein's monster of brutal post-hardcore tempos and sludgy groove metal riffs. Outside of their more frenetic live shows, the band hasn't ever sounded this raw, violent or backed into the proverbial corner before. Opener "So He Begins To Lie" sets the tone perfectly with its thick, almost prog-rock metallic riffing and hissing industrial backbeat. Sure, there's a bit of the old Silent Alarm playfulness here and there, especially on extra-spastic lead single "Octopus," but by and large, Four sputters, spits, roars and wails like a wounded animal behind bars. "Can't shake the feeling we're moving backwards / History repeating itself," Kele bemoans over the guttural bluesy stomp of "Coliseum," a track that relishes its dusty ghost town vibes just long enough before gunning it full speed ahead into furiously heavy spitfire assault mode.
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The heavy metal theatrics (anyone want to play Spot The AC/DC "Thunderstruck" Guitar Solo?) more or less steal the show, but Four isn't without its gentler, quieter stretches… or at least its version of what you might call a gentle stretch. "Can we get a real full-on moment?" rings Kele's breathy plea on "Real Talk," "You're my one and only friend… My mind is open / and my body is yours / Just show me the sign." There's cascading, almost tangible warmth to "Day Four" and string section drama billowing beneath "The Healing," but even above these more introspective tunes, there hangs the constant threat of danger—the knowledge that, at any moment, another song on the record might rip these milder moments to shreds. In years past, Bloc Party would've ended this record on the downbeat ache of "The Healing," but instead, they bow out with the aggressive push and shove of "We're Not Good People," complete with good old fashioned hardcore snare drumming and heavy metal whammy bar hammer-solos.
Did I mention there's even a moment where, in between takes, Kele tells a story about an African spider bite that bursts open and spills out tons of little baby spiders? Four is just that kind of record, I suppose: by far the band's most immediate, gritty, gripping and (for lack of a better term) real record to date. The rumor mill may already be spinning, but Bloc Party can't possibly call it quits after this—they've somehow managed to both return to their roots and foray into bold and exciting new sonic territory while also ditching the postured distance schtick that, let's admit it, made some of their older albums a little difficult to fully embrace. "The future's ours!" Kele howls towards the end of "Kettling." "We can feel it in our bones!" Four is the sort of album you truly genuinely can. The London gang's latest is music for marrow culling and may be… just maybe… their best LP to date. Ask me again once I find my socks.
Grade: A-
What do you guys think of Bloc Party's new album Four? (You can early stream the whole thing in its entirety right here.) Let me know what you think in the comments section below.
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