2008 Albums You Should Hear: Bloc Party - Intimacy

Bloc Party is quite possibly the most ambitious, progressive band in the world. I'm sure you all remember their debut album, Silent Alarm, released way back in 2005 (if you don't, go get it now), so I won't spend too much time recapping it. Suffice to say it represents the moment I fell in love with music and established Bloc Party as my favourite band (like, ever). In 2007, they folowed up with A Weekend In The City, a stunningly beautiful, wide-eyed, atmospheric, emotional look at life in the city. On the surface, it sounded almost nothing like SA, with production by the ever-talented Mr. Jacknife Lee, a sprinkling of electronics, less dance-punk, and somewhat more literal, less abstract lyricism by frontman Kele Okereke. This was the sound of a band that didn't want to waste a single moment resting on their laurels.

This past summer, Bloc Party's website went down for three days, replaced by a simple countdown timer. The countdown ended with the debut of new single Mercury on Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 show. Built around a synthesized vocal sample and featuring extensive use of a brass section, the song pushed the Bloc Party sound even further into new territory and marked the experimental nature of the new album. A few weeks later, on August 18, said album was announced to the world via a live web chat with the band, and the download version was made available to pre-order for release in just three days' time. From the balls-to-the-wall energy of opener Ares through Mercury to the more guitar-rock-y second single Talons, all the way to epic penultimate track Better Than Heaven and beautiful closer Ion Square - this album is a ride. Self-described by Kele as "the break-up album" and drummer Matt Tong as having the "rawness of Silent Alarm" coupled with the "experience of AWITC," Intimacy proves, yet again, that Bloc Party have got plenty of tricks left up their sleeves.



Bloc Party - Mercury (zShare)
Bloc Party - Talons (zShare)

Bloc Party official site
Buy Intimacy: CD / Vinyl / iTunes (Standard Version) / iTunes (Deluxe Version)