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Rating: Anyone who loves Nirvana (just to give an example) knows very well that, besides (obviously) the tragic death of Cobain, what causes the most regret is that the trio from Seattle, at the time of their artistic interruption, gave the impression of being a group in constant growth. Simply put, each album was qualitatively better than the previous one. Those who love Guns N' Roses, to make another example, know, or don't want to admit (come on), that the subsequent albums are trash compared to that stunning blend of melodic energy that was "Appetite For Destruction." Thankfully, Bloc Party proves they belong to the former category by delivering an album at least a notch above their already good debut "Silent Alarm" (which wasn't that "silent" considering the buzz it created), revealing greater maturity (which in this case, contrary to common clichés, doesn't rhyme with dull compositions) and new, unheard influences.
Let the fireworks begin: "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)" already proves to be an astounding track, with Okereke and company seeming to tailor a suit from Muse for the occasion. The song starts with Kele's convincing falsetto accompanied only by a keyboard and delicate guitar touches: then a tight drum punches in, introducing us to a nice decisive and rather unusual riff, considering the sounds proposed on the debut album. We continue with "Hunting For Witches"; the band, tackling a delicate subject like the London metro attack, chooses to revisit the catchy sounds and riffs that well characterized "Silent Alarm" (particularly episodes like "Banquet" and, especially, "Helicopter"). "Waiting For The 7.18" starts as a lullaby, culminating in a chorus typical of the band, and finally, we are treated to the amazing rhythmic entanglements of the sublime drummer Matt Tong, truly a spectacle to behold live. "The Prayer" is the spectacular first single, curiously the most experimental track of the album, unlike the brand-new single "I Still Remember", even excessively radio-friendly for the band's standards. "Uniform" is yet another beautiful song: it starts with a simple six-string arpeggio over which Okereke constructs a beautiful vocal line, then suddenly becomes very fast and reprises a nice solid guitar riff, as in the album's opener. "On" is accompanied by a simple beat and Kele's voice, then Tong comes in to stir things up, although it doesn't quite wake up the slightly flat nature of the track. "Where Is Home" recalls, with its (yet another) frenetic rhythm imposed by Matt, some things proposed in the past by the rock-influenced Chemical Brothers, while "Kreuzberg" is the most melancholic piece on the album. After the aforementioned "I Still Remember", the curtain falls on "Sunday", with an intro directly taken from the drum part of Coldplay's "Speed Of Sound" and a dreamy guitar arpeggio that dominates the entire song, and "SRXT", which closes with an explosion of sounds perfect for bidding farewell to the listener.
The first great album of 2007 along with The Good, The Bad And The Queen; an album that will not fail to engage you, surprise you, and, why not, convince you to hit "play" again for a new weekend in the city. Again so gray, but never so pleasant. Chapeau, Mr. Okereke.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 Hunting for Witches (03:31)
I'm sitting on the roof of my house
With a shotgun and a six pack of beer
The newscaster says the enemy is among us
As bombs explode on the 30 bus
Kill your middle class indecision
Now is not the time
for a liberal thought
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Head's are going to roll
I go hunting for…
1990's, optimistic as a teen
But now it's terror, airplanes crash into towers
The Daily Mail says the enemy is among us
Taking our women and taking our jobs
All reasonable thought is being drowned out
By the non-stop baying, baying, baying for blood
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Head's are going to roll
I go hunting for…
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
I watched TV, it informed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
There must be accountability
Disparate and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
So I go hunting for witches
I go hunting for witches
Head's are going to roll
I go hunting for…
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
I watched TV, it informed me
I was an ordinary man with ordinary desire
There must be accountability
Disparate and misinformed
Fear will keep us all in place
03 Waiting for the 7.18 (04:17)
Waiting for the 7.18
January is endless
Weary-eyed and forlorn
the Northern Line is the loudest
Sitting in silence in bars after work
I've got nothing to add or contest
Can I still kick a ball a hundred yards?
Now we cling to bottles
and memories of the past
Just give me moments
not hours or days
Just give me moments
Grinding your teeth in the middle of the night
Let the sadness off those molars
Spend all your spare time trying to escape
With crosswords and Sudoku
If I could do it again I'd make more mistakes
I'd not be so scared of falling
If I could do it again I'd climb more trees
I'd pick and I'd eat more wild
blackberries
Just give me moments
not hours or days
Just give me moments
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend
04 The Prayer (03:44)
Lord, give me grace
And dancing feet
And the power to impress
Lord, give me grace
And dancing feet
Let me outshine the moon
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best
Runner up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you?
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle I will outshine them all
Standing on the packed dance floor
Our bodies throb in time
Silent on the weekdays
Tonight I claim what’s mine
Is it so wrong to crave recognition?
Second best
Runner up
Is it so wrong to want rewarding?
To want more than is given to you?
Than is given to you?
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle I will outshine them all
Tonight make me unstoppable
And I will charm, I will slice,
I will dazzle them with my wit
Tonight make me unstoppable
And i will charm, I will slice
I will dazzle I will outshine them all
05 Uniform (05:32)
There was a sense of disappointment as we left the mall,
All the young people looked the same,
Wearing their masks of cool and indifference,
Commerce dressed up as rebellion.
Because we're so handsome and we're so bored,
So entertain us, tell me a joke,
Make it long, make it last,
Make it cruel, just make me laugh,
We can't be hurt.
Drink to forget your blues on the weekend,
Think about more things to buy.
The TV taught me how to sulk and to love nothing.
And how to grow my hair long.
So why do you go picking fights that you'll lose?
(When you have entertainment, when you have things to pass the time)
So why do you have to go thinking thoughts that are above you?
(You can be happy, just play dumb x2)
Well I was brave
And unique,
Intelligent,
A snowflake,
I could have been a hero.
No-one can be trusted over the age of 14.
Tattoo our arms,
Converse shoes,
Cynical,
But we still do it,
We tell ourselves that we're different,
I've gotten so good at lying to myself.
All, all my pain and honor is used up,
oh, oh, oh,
All my guns are rusted.
So when are you going to realize those are not your wrongs to right,
Have another line, have another drink.
(Pop songs won’t change the government)
I am a martyr I just need a motive,
I am a martyr I just need a cause,
I'm a believer I just need to a moment,
I'm a believer I just need a cause.
We're finding it hard to break the mold,
We are finding it so hard to be alone,
We're finding it hard to have time by ourselves,
We have nothing at all to say.
Uniform
Uniform
There was a sense of disappointment as we left them all
All the young people looked the same
07 Where Is Home? (04:54)
After the funeral breaking cola nuts
We sit and reminisce about the past
And in her voice only sadness
Her only son taken from her
In every headline we are reminded
That this not home for us
In every headline we are reminded
That this not home for us
2nd generation blues
Our point of view not listened to
Different worlds and different rules
A question of allegiance
Clinging to her bible and her scapula
And the memory of the way things were
I don't see hope I cannot smile
I just burn with anger all the time
We all read
What they did
To the black
Boy
In every headline we are reminded
That this is not home for us
Where is it?
Where is home?
Where is it?
Where is home?
I walk a modern tight rope
Of humility and belligerence
All this tommy-rot and flag waving
Is getting me down
I want to stamp on the face of every young policeman
To break the fingers of every old judge
To cut off the feet of every ballerina
But I can't
So I just sigh, and I just sigh
And I pretend
That there's nothing wrong
The teeth of this world
Tear me in half
And everyday I must ask myself
Where, where, where
Where is it?
Where is home?
Where is it?
Where is home?
In every headline we are reminded
That this is not home for us
In every headline we are reminded
That this is not home for us
08 Kreuzberg (05:27)
There is a wall that runs right through me
Just like the city, I will never be joined
What is this love? Why can I never hold it?
Did it really run out in the strangers' bedrooms?
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
Something must change
Saturday night in East Berlin
We took the U-Bahn to the East Side Gallery
I was sure I'd found love with this one lying with me
Crying again in the Hauptbahnhof
I
I have decided
At twenty-five
That something must change
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
After sex
The bitter taste
Been fooled again
The search continues
09 I Still Remember (04:23)
I, I still remember
How you looked that afternoon
There was only you
You said "it's just like a full moon"
Blood beats faster in our veins
We left our trousers by the canal
And our fingers, they almost touched
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I'd have gone wherever you wanted
(I still remember)
And on that teachers' training day
(And on that teachers' training day)
We wrote our names on every train
(We wrote our names on every train)
Laughed at the people off to work
(Laughed at the people off to work)
So monochrome and so lukewarm
(So monochrome and so lukewarm)
And I can see our days are becoming nights
I could feel your heartbeat across the grass
We should have run
I would go with you anywhere
I should have kissed you by the water
You should have asked me for it
I would have been brave
You should have asked me for it
How could I say no?
And our love could have soared
Over playgrounds and rooftops
Every park bench screams your name
I kept your tie
I would let you if you asked me
I still remember
I still remember
I still remember
I still remember
I still remember
I still remember
10 Sunday (04:59)
Heavy night; it was a heavy night
Feels like we come back from the dead
Heavy night; it was a heavy night
I cannot remember what I said (to anyone)
If we get up now we can catch the afternoon
Watch the under 15’s playing football in the park
Let’s sit in St. Leonard’s on this alcoholic day
We’re doing the best with what we’ve got
I love you in the morning
When you’re still hung-over
I love you in the morning
When you’re still strung out
I love you in the morning
I work hard all week, and so do you
We return to let off some steam
Less orthodox creeping
We need to rage through this life
There might be ones who are smarter than you
That have the right answers, that wear better shoes
Forget about those melting ice caps
We’re doing the best with what we’ve got
I love you in the morning
When you’re still hung-over
I love you in the morning
When you’re still strung out
I love you in the morning
When I'm with you, I am calm; a pearl in your oyster
Head on my chest, a silent smile, a private kind of happiness
You see, giant proclamations are all very well
But our love is louder than words
When I'm with you, I am calm; a pearl in your oyster
Head on my chest, a silent smile, a private kind of happiness
I love you in the morning
I love you in the morning
I love you in the morning
I love you in the morning
I love you in the morning
11 SRXT (04:51)
Walking in the countryside
It seems that the winds have stopped
I took down the posters from my wall
Left letters for you all
I remember moments of happiness
Endless summer, acoustic guitars
Being a man made me coarse
When I wanted to be delicate
I called up Eugene
Told him I was drowning
I called up Eugene
Told him I was drowning
Like a castaway on a warm ocean
Waiting for a purpose to rise
They say it's not becoming
For a boy my age
If you want to know what makes me sad
Well it's hope, the endurance of faith
A battle that lasts a lifetime
A fight that never ends
Walking in the countryside
It seems that the winds have stopped
Tell my mother I am sorry
And I loved her
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By Vivio
"The Prayer (first single) ... a truly great indie-rock piece."
"Those four kids have reconfirmed themselves... Nothing special to be clear, but there’s worse, much, much worse out there."
