The problem with indie bands is, for the most part, their widespread inability to create a cohesive album. Far too often, an indie band will create one or two solid songs, but the rest of the album will fizzle or be just plain unlistenable. If this is the case, how does one judge the album, or, for that matter, the band in general? Can a band’s worth be valued solely on the potential of one or two songs? The indie genre then poses quite the conundrum, one that British import Bloc Party also begs to question.
Half of Bloc Party’s debut album, Silent Alarm, is brilliant, the other half forgettable. The x-factor to each song’s success is frontman Kele Okerere’s voice. Instead of the classic soft, lulling vocals of the British indie scene, Okerere employs a higher-pitched sound. During the more low-key songs, Okerere’s voice fits accordingly. On the more upbeat, poppy tracks, however, it becomes grating and dull. Sure the riffs are powerful and lively, but if you can’t sing you’re nothing more than a good backup band.
Bloc Party sounds suspiciously like an amalgam of other indie-band peers. Mix Franz Ferdinand, the Libertines and add in a dash of the Strokes and you essentially have the Bloc Party sound. While this might be some bands’ Achilles heels (like how “Muse” sounds like a wannabe Radiohead), for Bloc Party the mix seems to avoid turning sour. Perhaps it is Bloc Party’s economical beats or its ability to gel so adeptly, but whatever the case, when Bloc Party is at its best, it can rock as hard as any band on the market, indie or not.
It’s very strange, though, how two-faced Bloc Party is. Silent Alarm is like a bad shower. It starts off warm and relaxing, but the longer you stay in, the water turns cold and abrasive and all you want to do is get out.
Although no member of Bloc Party lacks in ability when playing each of his or her instruments respectively (no Meg Whites in this band), the band’s drummer, Matt Tong, plays exceptionally. Tong puts the album on his shoulders with his fast-paced beats, which can be found in most songs. Tong’s rhythmic prowess is exemplified in the album’s first track, “Like Eating Glass.” The song starts with a single guitar playing the same wavering note over and over again but is slowly overshadowed by an epic drum solo. As the song progresses, the strong drum beat fades into the background but does its job quite methodically.
The strongest tracks on the album are the aforementioned “Like Eating Glass,” the band’s first single, “Banquet,” and the rock ballad “This Modern Love.” While these songs are neat, compact and have a punch, Silent Alarm has a slew of other songs that are flat-out bad. “She’s Hearing Voices,” is quite possibly the worst song on the album. It has an annoying techno-ish hook and worst of all uses the kiss-of-death electronic filter during Okerere’s rendition of the chorus.
Bloc Party’s popularity across the pond in England will surely trickle over into the United States. It won’t be long before MTV has taken grasp of the band’s raw talent and will proceed to mold it into commercialized crap. Therefore, although the album is fairly hit-or-miss, the band definitely demands at least one listening. If Franz Ferdinand can make it in America, then Bloc Party can too.
By listening to its album, one can tell Bloc Party could possibly be a proverbial musical orgasm to see in concert. The members’ style of play is conducive to the stage and the propensity of bands to play their music rawer and harder in concert would prove beneficial for Bloc Party. In proximity to Madison, Bloc Party will be playing in Minneapolis March 30 and Chicago March 31.
Grade: B
