Poor deluded souls still in denial over A Weekend In The City’s inherent greatness probably won’t see the light with this cunning cut from Bloc Party's aforementioned album. Kele’s social analysis, they’ll argue, is simplistic, even crass.
Point taken, but remove the blinkers and take a glance around you: almost every song passing itself off as indie-rock even approaching mainstream acceptance today could be a nursery rhyme penned by a lovelorn eight year old with learning difficulties and a depressingly tiny vocabulary. ‘Hunting For Witches’, by comparison, is literature-level needle nicely nailing the hatemongering fostered by certain areas of the media with sensitive wordplay.
An obvious target perhaps but, as they say, if there’s an open goal, you’ve still got to knock it in. And in ramming it home, with patchwork vocal cut-ups and urgent tempo, Bloc Party continue their reign as the most sonically remarkable band in British popular music.
big fat meh
comparing the lyrics of this song to other popular indie wordsmiths is like comparing a child's fingerpainting to a big fat smear of turd in a toilet bowl. One is better than the other, but it aint the Sistine chapel..
Out of the rest of the album (which, admittedly, i've not spent much time with) this is certainly one of the best, mainly because the lyrics aren't quite head in hands embarrassing, though the sentiments contained are student polemic at its most average. Most of the album can and does suck a fat one (and no, i'm not deluded)
And as for "the most sonically remarkable band in British popular music".. well, if thats the case we're in trouble. Maybe in the indie world, but as stated above thats hardly a 'clash of the titans' situation
my favourite bit
is the beginning when they sound exactly like radiohead
Well
I think it sounds like a 'rawk' version of Sweet Dreams.
oh this song is really really bad
fuck, it sounds like some sort of roni size collaboration with some metal guitarist cerca 1996
awful lyrics, "student polemic" hits the nail on the head, load of whiney nonsense that takes itself far too seriously etc etc
awful lyrics?
I take it you haven't heard Lily Allen or Kate Nash's efforts recently.
It's no 9,
but it's not THAT bad.
WHY
do bloc party get so much arse-licking action from DiS?
Beacause
they are the best thing on the scene these days. end of.
I hate
that word.
which one?
"the"? "of"? "are"?
sounds
like the riff from Helicopter paired with an atonal chorus that fails to excite, like the chorus in The Prayer.
I must admit Ive not listened to the new album but the three or four songs Ive heard really seem to lack the urgency of Silent Alarm.
Worst lyric of the year...
"I order the foie gras and I eat it with complete disdain"
Tosser.
Agreed,
disdain is a very poor condiment to accompany foie gras. I'd recommend young Kele tries some piccalilli or a dash of gentleman's relish.
It's a great song
you guys are tooting it off as one of the worst of the year as it's suddenly cool to dislike Bloc Party.
yeah, that's why i dislike Bloc Party
you've really got my number there
Have noticed that.
But it's easily explained; they've made the charts and are played on radio 1
Sure it's not a perfect album, but it's better than at least half of the mercury prize nominee list (not that that's a bar to aspire to, but is a valid point nonetheless).
that
and the album is shit on a shoe compared to silent alarm
agreed
dunno why but it sounds rushed to me.
also agreed
for me, the whole album was just such a disappointment. Don't think this would get close to being on Silent Alarm, and its one of the stronger tracks.
And i do agree that its the lyrics that spoil it. They're so high in the mix that the whole songs seem to be focussed on them, so that when they're clunkers (pretty frequently) they really jar.
The things that were for me so exciting about Silent Alarm - the drumming, the bass, and the guitar sound - have all been pushed to the back to showcase the clumsy lyrics.
You want literature level? Listen to Elbow or I am Kloot. Screw it, go listen to Springsteen or Dylan.
actually
the lyrics on the latest Elbow weren't as good as the first two albums. Still all damn good albums, mind.
the really like the first 30 seconds of this
I don't bother with the rest.
*I
It's a good song no question
haven't listened to the album in months but this song's got a 4/5 in my iTunes. But sonically remarkable? The review of the album, the whole 'union- four people coming together etc' really makes them out as the second coming in British rock but I don't see it- musically there's nothing on this album that sets them apart and for all that is said about Kele's social commentary, isn't it just about his directness rather than his lyrical talent? If anything its the lyrics that kill the album for me in the second half.
i disagree
they _resurrect_ it in the second half, having nearly killed it in the first half (that line about crosswords and sudoku? what the fuck was he thinking? bleagh)
A good song
Much better than 'I still remember', but in the video gordon and matt look really bored, hopefully some funkier bass lines (eg positive tension) come the 3rd album
adam is back
hurrah
Nothing New Then...
I have listened to the album and they are certainly not pushing the old boat out. This tune is a vaguely pleasant ramble which left me feeling...nothing? I think Bloc Party is a stupid name for a group too, I think they should rename themselves as...The Witches!
Bloc Party are bland
And this song is particularly awful. The fact you can hear the godawful lyrics so clearly makes it worse than their other 'attempts'.
Not a 9.
But still a very good single. I like it.
Reading the above comments
makes me think that people out there just want Silent Alarm Mark 2!Well fxxxg move on!...BP maybe too arty for some,etc... but at least they stand out from the hundreds of talentless bands around at the moment, and are not afraid of trying to expand their sound and ideas...now,if people don't like the result it 's a different matter, but you can't knock them for wanting to move forward....
This song is meh.
The whole album is meh. 5/10.
T3 Things About Block Party
So Here We Are is a monster of a track.Never ever tire of hearing it.
Matt Tong is a mighty fine drummer
Kele's face looks more often than not like he has lost a pound and found a penny but when he smiles ,boy does he smile.
I Really Can Spell
Bloc Party