01.

Bloc Party

Intimacy

A bit of a landmark, this. The first time that a band has had more than one record get the number one spot on my list (their debut, Silent Alarm, was my number one album of 2005). Ironically, I wasn’t at all sure about Bloc Party’s new dancey direction – I really disliked (and still dislike) last year’s stand alone single ‘Flux’, and when ‘Mercury’ appeared, on first listen I was equally ready to dismiss it. As it turns out, it’s one of the best tracks of the year, and the lead in to a challenging and dynamic record that has the band coming on leaps and bounds. Their disappointing ‘difficult’ second album, A Weekend In The City, (its few exceptional moments – ‘The Prayer’ and ‘Hunting For Witches’ – aside) is washed away. This is Bloc Party establishing themselves as a band that takes risks, and one that, it would seem, will endure for a long time to come.

Tracks like ‘Halo’ and the brilliant ‘One Month Off’ hark back to the better tracks from their earlier work (high octane indie rock), but there are also intriguing moments of a very different kind: the poignant lament of ‘Signs’ (a song that burrows into the brain) and the soft tread of ‘Biko’ demonstrate that Bloc Party have been adding strings to what was already a rather snazzy bow. When the ‘dance’ tracks are thrown into the mix (again, ‘Mercury’ is the best example, but ‘Ares’ is another awesome song in this vein), the result is an eclectic but balanced record capable of contending with the very best. Ultimately, I think I probably still prefer their near perfect debut, but this is closer to it than I ever expected them to get. I look forward to seeing them (for the second time, but the first for many years) in the New Year. I’ll dance to the sound of sirens…