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Liberator 6.2
Bloc Party
A Weekend In The City
(Vice)

The U.K.'s Bloc Party exploded worldwide in the footsteps of post-punk fashion plates Franz Ferdinand. On their debut "Silent Alarm," Bloc Party make like stepchildren of British royalty echoing Gang Of Four, The Fall and Blur in a perfect NME-induced media storm. On "A Weekend In The City," it appears they'd like to shed their hipster sound for something more mature, or rather, "adult." With this album, it seems Bloc Party has traded dance-punk edginess for the "grown-up" sound of Coldplay or Snow Patrol. Singer Kele Okereke and gang want to speak to the city, its attributes, weariness and emptiness of purpose. On the opening track, the punchy "Song for Clay (Disappear here)," Okereke sings "I'm trying to be heroic/ in age of modernity/but in my heart I am lukewarm/ nothing ever really touches me." As the over-processed drums start to kick in, things get interesting. The most bombastic track is "Hunting For Witches" where Okerere addresses the fear of terrorism and immigration: "There are enemies among us/Taking our women and taking our jobs." The dynamic rhythm section of bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong create an art-rock palette for Okereke's colorful cynicism. The album's highlight is the thunderous "The Prayer" an electro-fuzzy anthem, anchored by meticulous drum programming where Okereke asks "Is it so wrong to crave recognition/ To want more than is given to you?" The grandness of "Uniform" begins with a gentle strumming guitar before Okereke evokes the feeling of alienation among Britain's middle class youth: "Cause we're so handsome / and we're so bored / so entertain us / tells us a joke." It seems Okereke is no longer interested in being the deer in indie-rock's spotlight. Softer ballads like the pretty "Sunday" and "I Still Remember" suggest the band is bored, and lapse into a blandness that creeps into much of "A Weekends'" second half. Although the record has several noteworthy moments, overall it doesn't quite match the uncalculated ambition of "Silent Alarm."
(Jon Jon Scott)