Don’t you wanna be relevant? Bloc Party clearly do: into this however-brief age of rave beats ‘n’ glow in the dark pieces, the Londoners have dispatched a standalone effort set to sit ‘tween Klaxons and some other kiddie-tastes-tickling outfit of synths and bleeps > guitar licks and drums. ‘Flux’ is its name and… erm…
…It sounds like horrible elevator musak for a Minority Report world, where there’s no danger on the streets, none of the positive tension of their London-bombing referencing A Weekend In The City LP of earlier this year. Safe, secure, predictable: this is dance music for souls homogenised by dictated convention – perhaps more Demolition Man than Philip K. Dick adaptation, then. Whatever Kele has to say here is obscured by shockingly primitive beats – this sounds like a bad remix (Eiffel 65 maybe?) of a bad Bloc Party song, like an echo of a filler track from a mid-‘90s rave compilation. Mr C wouldn’t be seen dead dropping this into a set at the height of his E-shovelling notoriety, that is for sure.
“We must talk about our problems… we must escape this state of flux.” Rarely, Kele, have truer words tumbled from your motor-mouth: once this period of change ends and Bloc Party settle back into more suitable colours we’ll talk about those problems, but ‘til then you’re on your own with offerings as sub-standard as this.
- - -
Worst single of the year
Made even worse by the fact its free with the NME
i think that your main problem with it is it doesnt really have guitars on it...
that that away and its no different to say pioneers from their first record. its ridiculous that a synthesiser can prompt such animosity. btw this song owes nothing to the klaxons, if anything id say BP have been listening to some trance, which makes a change from all that post punk lite shit that was around 3 years ago (franz futureheads editors) ive only discovered BP quite lately but i like the fact they are willing to try new things. even if it doesnt always succeed. there arent many other british guitar bands that could get away with getting gay german techno a listed on radio 1.
Yeah
I'm terrified of any music not composed or played on guitar.
I think my main problem with it is that its shit
Actually, having re-read your post
it really doesn't make any sense. "I like the fact they are willing to try new things", like playing "gay german techno" which, taking away the unnecessary slur, totally hasn't been around for all the world to hear since the 1980's.
Besides, even if it were new and innovative, that wouldn't make it a good song.
I really like it
but judging from the crowd reaction at the recent Electric Proms gig, I'd say I'm in a minority of one.
It sounds a bit like Cher. Disco Bloc Party!
chuffing terrible
i knew this would happen to them..
and yes abit like cher..
not nice.
Cher
Eiffel 65
Power Rangers
How did anyone think this was a good idea? What happened to trying to be heroic in an age of modernity?! EH?!!!
for a bit
in about 2003
I thought kele was a good writer
6th form 6th form 6th form
Yeah
Well. I think its wicked.
Yeah
Well. You're wrong
And didn't Beastie Boys already make that video?
Exactly!
I'm not alone in thinking this then.
finally
this song has had a decent review, ive been waiting for one for a while.
Yes...
...it's crap. This band have been utter shit for years. I for one am not surprised.
Doesnt summers have copyright
on that eiffel 65 remix comment?
don't you know anything about music criticism?
trying to pass off other people's opinion as your own is the prime method
My views on this song are thus: An averagely lame Bloc Party song, but with a pumping eurobeat beneath it. Therefore, better than normal. If only they got rid of Kele and brought in the guy who did Pretty Green Eyes
oh god
i only just listened to this for the first time
embarrassing
this is horrible
no hook
no dynamics
nothing
terrible
I quite like this
mainly as it's a slight deviation from the norm for Bloc Party, and it's not like an album track or anything major that would sound out of sorts.
If it were on Silent Alarm or Weekend in the City, I'd hate it. But it's not, so I accept it for what it is.
Don't wish to enter a flame war, but a lot of people on DiS really need to lighten up with respect to the fact that some people, shock horror, will actually like some of the music put on a mainstream radio playlist.
Granted, most of it is tosh, and the few songs anyone does remotely find bearable, Radio 1 play them to death till you want to plug your ears with your own self-extracted teeth.
'this sounds like a bad remix (Eiffel 65 maybe?) of a bad Bloc Party song'
My thoughts exactly
I think it's
...alright.
Clearly just meant to be a stop-gap, and really should only be taken as that.
ballacks
if you release something in between albums as a stand-alone, it should be critiqued with as much emphasis as any single released off of an album-proper. this is gash, and should be considered gash no matter what it's context.
Hurrah!
Finally people aren't licking Bloc Party's arses every time they sneeze some new music out.
Banquet - tune.
Helicopter - tune.
Pretty much every other song - yelping tedious lyrics over strange (albeit very technically proficient) drumbeats and echoes. It's not a sign of depth Kele, it's the whining of a surly 26-year-old with a chip on his shoulder.
Still, not as bad as Razorlight...
disagree.
There is more to Bloc than the two songs that you heard on the radio in 2004. Silent Alarm is a modern classic. Admittedly A Weekend.. was a bit shit in places. Actually quite a lot shit. I don't really know where I'm going with this. Flux? 100% shag.
WHAT?
KLAXONS? WHERE?
It sounds like the fucking Bravery, not Klaxons.
What's the betting they'll reissue a weekend..... with this on
like they did with silent alarm and two more years. Seriously why do they have to make naff singles which wouldn't fit with the dynamics of an album, only to go and re-release the album with it on. Two more years was a bit meh, as is this, and yeah, the bravery about sums it up really.
The Bravery
Can't ever possibly be a good means of comparison.
I'm not crazy about it
I am a huge bloc fan and have been for 3 or 4 years, and i would say that this is definitely not a very good song, but you can't bash anything they have done before this.
On another note
I don't quite understand the whole releasing and re-releasing nonsense either. It's rather annoying really.
HAHAHAHA
so they're actually re-relesing AWITC with this on plus a "BONUS" "DVD"
what complete lamewads
i love it
especially the WE NEED TO TALK! bit.
CHOON.
Not Your Fucking Fall Out Boy
Unfortunately, I guess it is now commonplace for people to dismiss and try to destroy anything that they don't understand. It it the human disease, and it's already become an epidemic, in my opinion. Just remember this; you can't hide behind your cynical, perpetually closed minds forever, and opening your cursed mouths to let your ignorance pour out won't make it any better, either. Flux is not gold by any means, but it certainly doesn't deserve this kind of treatment.