Bloc Party
Weekend In The City
V2/Shock


As far as I'm concerned, Bloc Party's debut album, 'Silent Alarm', is one of the great albums of this decade. There have been a number of previous bands who have been caught in that same paradox of trying to live up to an amazing debut effort. When faced with the challenge of the difficult second album some bands fail miserably (The Stone Roses), some even manage to better their past efforts (The Strokes) and other bands release an album that is nearly as astonishing (Weezer). It appears that Bloc Party fall into the last category - 'Weekend In The City' is certainly not 'Silent Alarm II' but its brilliance is nearly as bright.

The album opener, Song For Clay (Disappear Here), approaches new territory; Bloc Party sounding derivative of a current band. The falsetto and riff rock/opera at the start sounds so Muse but then, thankfully, some classic Bloc Party guitaring hits and eventually bursts into a scorching solo. Jackknife Lee's production influence is significant, the raucous guitar rock has moved towards electronica. Hunting For Witches is a prime example of this, pulsating with the hippest electro beats, yet the rock rush of Bloc Party guitars are not completely obscured from view.

The pace of 'Weekend In The City' is slightly slower than 'Silent Alarm' and the raw aggression has been dampened but the excitement remains. Unlike Interpol's mellowing between 'Turn On The Bright Lights' and 'Antics', Bloc Party's sound remains urgent; they haven't gone soft, their anger is just brooding. Kele Okereke's lyrics strike a balance between introspective personal reflections and direct political commentary. This second-generation Nigerian immigrant wrestles with racial identity issues in Where Is Home? while the brilliant drumming of Matt Tong is given one of its few moments to shine.

The beautiful clean guitar sounds that begin Kreuzberg are similar to So Here We Are, but the distortion grows and eventually it becomes an epic anthem about someone regretting another night of casual sex. The melody line of I Still Remember is so damn catchy and familiar that along with the wistful romantic lyrics, this sounds like the freshest reinvention of '80s inspiration in a long time.

'Weekend In The City' is a thoroughly thought-through and deliberate effort, yet like the city of London which it seeks to characterise; it is a chaotic and loveable jolt of nervous energy.

Scott Berry