By the late '90s, the influence of grunge had worn its welcome.
Rap-rock, hard rock and pop were the top sellers on the charts.
But that period didn't stay long, either-by the early '00s,
indie-rock was reaching the mainstream through catchy hooks and
a more scratchy, dancey sound.
While The Strokes, The Killers and Franz
Ferdinand opened the door to this trend,
eventually bands more influenced by the
post-punk period of the late '70s and early
'80s (Gang of Four in particular, but also Joy
Division, Wire, and Sonic Youth). Maximo Park,
Interpol, and The Futureheads were counted
among the many devotees that would develop a
skronky brand of dance-rock, but of the entire
revival, few had the substance and chops of
Bloc Party.
The band formed in London with Kele Okereke on
vocals and guitar, Russell Lissack on guitar,
Gordon Moakes on bass, and Matt Tong on drums.
It was their single "Banquet" that launched
their star, drawing in raving music journalists
were desperate to hear more, especially after a
dance-club ready remix was offered on an EP.
They were not disappointed. In 2005, the band
released their first full-length album, Silent
Alarm, receiving critical acclaim in both the
United States and their native United
Kingdom.
Many of their songs took an explicit political
stance, in particular the abrasive
"Helicopter," which took aim at the Bush
administration and the War on
Terror:
Little Thoughts
Mercury
"Stop being so American/There's a time and there's
a place/So James Dean/So blue jeans/He's
gonna save the world/He's gonna.../Are you hoping for a
miracle?" Other songs served as beautiful, heart-aching
ballads, such as "This Modern Love," with its sad lyrics about
being afraid to fall headlong into love ("What are you holding
out for?/What's always in the way?/Why so damn
absent-minded?/Why so scared of romance?/This modern love
breaks me/This modern love wastes me").
Their follow-up, A Weekend in the City, offered up more focus,
more depth, and more sadness with songs like "Waiting for the
7:18." It was clear the band was evolving, adding more
electronic fiddling on songs like "Hunting for Witches,"
marrying the scratchy guitar-work the band had become known for
with samples. Their lyrics were still powerful, commenting on
the paranoia after the London tubeway bombings ("1990s,
optimistic as a teen/But now its terror, airplanes crash into
towers/The Daily Mail says "the enemy is among us!/"Taking our
women and taking our jobs"/All reasonable thought is being
drowned out/By the non-stop baying, baying for blood").
With their third record, the band has transitioned from the
guitar and drums-based post-punk that opened the new decade to
the electronic/rock fusion that it seems to be closing out
with. With deep bursts of horns and synthesizers playing
through their new single, "Mercury," it's clear the band is
sliding farther from conventional rock and toward electronica,
though their feet are still firmly ensconced in the rock
camp.
If you haven't heard their new music, get a hold of their new
record, Intimacy. Better yet, hear it live by getting Bloc
Party tickets.
Written by Andrew Good and sponsored by
www.stubhub.com
. StubHub sells sports tickets, concert
tickets, theater tickets and more to just about
any event in the world. Don't miss Bloc Party
at http://www.stubhub.com/bloc-party-tickets/
.
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