Bloc Party - Silent Alarm
By: Patrick Vu | Category: Album Archive | 04/03/05 | 01:14 AM
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Grade: B+ | Genre:
Rock
Summary: Bloc Party arrives on the scene to reinvent the modern-punk movement challenging the inner rebel in all of us. You will definitely hear 80's punk influences, especially in Okereke's voice, but this is no throwback. Their genuine talent and youthful energy is sure to carry them far. |
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 As a music reviewer, you go through a list of mostly forgettable (and often regrettable) albums hoping to find something compelling enough to share with the masses. It's easy to critique a record that is so popular you sing it in your sleep, but where's the fun in that? What you hope for is a needle in a haystack that no one around you has a clue about. These are bands that become your own and are those that prompt people to ask, "Who's this you're listening to?" Eventually, some of these bands, which you nurtured for so long, hit the mainstream as you can proudly say. "I knew them when..."
Consider this your "heads-up" because Bloc Party (Kele Okereke, Gordon Moakes, Russel Lissack, and Matt Tong) is that band and on the verge of breaking into rock stardom.
Slient Alarm, a decidedly modern-punk album that isn't afraid to soften its edges, is poised to blow open doors and serve as the latest youth anthem for our generation. It's strengthened by the invigorating percussions and expansive guitar work that are able to push Bloc Party passed their comparisons and into a niche of their own. However, the real standout is the voice of lead Kele Okereke, who exudes youthful rebellion while displaying frontman maturity beyond his youth.
"Like Eating Glass" aggressively opens Silent Alarm adding fierce attitude to its brooding lyrics. It livens things up and is a perfect prelude to the more punk sounding "Helicopter" and "Positive tension." Bloc Party's energy carries the performances and helps to make this studio recording come alive and in your face.
Bloc Party's inner punk, however, is subdued for a moment allowing "Blue Light" to shine. It is a beautifully wispy serenade to the lost love you can't get over. The theme continues with "This Modern Love" but quickly toughens up with "Pioneers," "Price of Gasoline," and "Luna."
"So here we are," one of the more memorable though slower paced and lyrically sparse songs on Silent Alarm, soars over the whole album and fills every inch of the room with its breathy sound and feel.
Bloc Party arrives on the scene to reinvent the modern-punk movement challenging the inner rebel in all of us. You will definitely hear 80's punk influences, especially in Okereke's voice, but this is no throwback. Their genuine talent and youthful energy is sure to carry them far. It's only a matter of time before everyone hops on board, and we begin to see their images on covers of music journals everywhere. Let's just hope the music doesn't suffer as they reap the rewards of stardom. Keep your eyes open for this one.
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