Customer Reviews

Weekend in the City (+2 Bonus Tracks)

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(13)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Wow, you've got to hand it to these guys for such a bold move. Gone are the stiff, jerky rhythms; spastic guitar riffs; and terse shouts that dominate their indie-rock scene and catalyzed their rise to fame on singles like "Helicopter."

Gone, in fact, are the singles altogether. Instead, Bloc Party has given birth to what has, in the new millenium, become a rare specimen: an album that's meant to be heard collectively, as an album. But doesn't this fly in the face of the music industry's current assumptions? With the event of file sharing, the development of the Ipod, etc. isn't there much less of a market for this kind of thing? Evidently, Bloc Party doesn't care a tick.

And after all, youthful non-conformity seems to be the spirit of the record. Its words are a stew of strung out reflections, accusations, and critiques covering love, libertinism, political fear mongering, drugs, and of course apathetic mall-going drones. Musically, it rejects the formula of the band's (former?) peers, which derive from the late 70s'-early 80s' alternative bands like Gang of Four, the Talking Heads, and (early) Cure. Instead it goes for the theatrical, taking cues from, for example, eighties metal bands (don't try to tell me you couldn't mistake the intro to "Hunting for Witches" for a techno remix of "Crazy Train"); also early 90's alternative and some of the more recent post-punk, screamo, and neo-prog groups come to mind. All this, of course, on top of jungle beats and an overarching punk rock sensibility.

Perhaps a more subtle and unlikely though is a hint of Bruce Springsteen (Just hear me out!) on songs like "I Still Remember" and "Sunday." Here we have two songs with lyrics about being young, looking at society from the margins, and being in love. They are sung over persistent, chime arpeggios, wall-of-sound instrumentation, and steady break beats. I can't help but think I'm hearing the dance club version of "Born to Run." And don't get me wrong, I think it works, especially thanks to Okereke's persistent themes of disaffectedness and dissent throughout the album.

Perhaps, as we move further along into the decade, the indie rock scene is ready to make this kind of album a success. Or maybe it came too early for the tipping point and will fade into obscurity. Either way, I think it took strength, sincerity, and creativity to put out something like this, and for my money, it's a good record.

This album is a huge leap ahead for fans of Bloc Party. It is a concept album based on the isolation and lonliness that a big city brings, especially to twentysomethings. Kele Okereke, the bands lead singer has not left room for ambiguity in his lyrics, and that makes them all the more powerful. Bloc Party has created a record, not just a hit song which is so prominent in Top 40. Hats off to Bloc Party for superb songwriting and deliberate and meaningful lyrics.

Bloc Party is an indie rock quartet from South London. Their debut album Silent Alarm was released in 2005, and was very well received by consumers and critics alike. With the spotlight on them, how would they respond with their sophomore effort?
This album definitely has a more somber tone than their previous one. Bloc Party has chosen to describe life in London as the main topic for this album. Occasionally they mention a few high points, but most of what they describe are feelings of loneliness and depression. They touch on some pretty heavy topics, including homophobia and racism. It makes for an album that is much less brash than Silent Alarm. But that doesn't necessarily mean that it's bad. There are several good tracks on the album, such as The Prayer, I Still Remember, and Waiting for the 7:18. The biggest issues with the album are that the riffs performed sound very, very similar from song to song, and the songs themselves seem to follow a very predictable pattern of whispered verses followed by big choruses.
Overall, this is a decent follow-up to their debut, depending on what you're looking for. The mood and topics covered might become a bit too much of a downer for some people, and others who enjoyed their 1st album might be disappointed by the fact that the group seems to be much more predictable on this album. But, if you can get by those issues, there is some solid music to be found.

Silent Alarm was a terrific album but Weekend in the City just seems like a mature step forward. They took their sound in a new direction and it is great. Weekend in the City shows that Bloc Party is going to be an amazing band for a long time.

This is not "Silent Alarm II". Bloc Party (wisely, in my opinion) decided to step in a new direction. Gone are the guitar riffs of "Helicopter" and Matt Tong tones back his trademark stacatto drumming slightly (but still manages to be a complete beast). In are more meaningful lyrics, a deeper, richer and fuller sound, and, above all, a more mature sound. This is definitely a band that is maturing and discovering what it wants to be and sound like, hence the huge differences between the sounds of "Silent Alarm" and "A Weekend in the City". However, do not mistake this difference for weakness. "Weekend" is a strong album and a great album, and hopefully a barometer of what Bloc Party will be doing in the future.

I think Bloc Party is incredible. There are some great moody songs on this album, but a few drive me a little crazy. Overall it's a good album, but if you don't have any Bloc Party albums, get Silent Alarm first.

So, Bloc Party's sophomore album is incredible. Not nearly as fast paced as their debut "Silent Alarm", as a matter of fact there's no song on this album which would fit on that album. This album contains so much more emotion and feel than were used to seeing from Bloc Party. I've lived in England since February 2005, and this album feel's like it. Every song on the album is very well put together, and there is quality felt all around. From Song for Clay (Disappear Here), which makes you want to party and thrash about, to SRXT, which is so melodic that it gives you goose bumps, this album is awesome. Definitley a diamond in the rough. I've listened to the whole thing front to back round 20 times or so, and it's better every time I hear it. So, if you want good Brit/Post-Punk/Indie/Rock, Bloc Party's new concoction is all you. Buy and enjoy!

Now, I loved Silent Alarm as much as anybody else. Bloc Party became one of my very favorite new bands after listening to that album. The sparse, spiky guitars, persistent drumming, and melodic vocals made for a brilliant album that hearkened back to the punk and post-punk movements of the 70s and 80s. A Weekend In The City, Bloc Party's follow-up, is a very different animal altogether. The guitar sound is roughly the same, but the vocals have a softer, almost blurry quality to them, the drums might as well have been drum machines (but they are still amazing), and the song content is darker and more melancholy. If Silent Alarm was the Saturday night out on the city, A Weekend In The City is the hang over of the Sunday morning...blurry, atmospheric, abashed, and slightly angry. And it works very well.

"Song For Clay" starts out the album with a simple vocal and guitar melody that turns into pounding drums and clashing guitars, but it's not quite as explosive as the rockers on Silent Alarm, it still sounds vulnerable. "Hunting For Witches" is a description of how the media has used "fear to keep us all in place", employing electronic-sounding guitars to fill as a symbol of modern paranoia, truly a standout track. "Waiting For the 7.18" is one of my personal favorites, with a somber melody dissolving into blissful noise pop behind the refrain "Let's drive to Brighton on the weekend." "The Prayer" is a slightly weird track, with synth and drums backing the harsh, abrasive verse, and a sweet little guitar melody serving as the backdrop for a chorus that contrasts well with the verse. "Uniform" is a song about the conformity of teens, with soft guitar becoming a riveting guitar solo. "On" provides a drug ballad, with gorgeous, melancholic lyrics such as "Drunken 'I love you's at the top of the world...and when it runs out, we buy more, a flatness so bleak, I've been bitten by a vampire". "Where Is Home?" is similar to "Prayer" in song structure, and is one of the weaker tracks on the LP. It is quite possibly the angriest song on A Weekend In The City, but instead of angsty lyrics, it is a resigned anger about racial injustice. "Kreuzberg" is an underrated song detailing the love the narrator wishes he could find after so many one-night stands. It is a perfect example of the vulnerability that wasn't present on their previous effort. "I Still Remember" is a radio-friendly single concerning an attraction between two schoolboys. "Sunday" is a very atmospheric song that lifts off the ground on its fragile melody. "SRXT" is a perfect closer to the album, a sad ballad about suicide.

One thing I mentioned a lot in the review was the word "melody", and it is appropriate, as the melody is pushed to the forefront more so than in Silent Alarm. Kele Okereke's lyrics serve perfectly to describe a vulnerable, confused young man in the middle of a city with nowhere to turn, surrounded by hypocrisy, corruption, and depression. It's a much darker album, lyrically, but it's a beautiful darkness, with the lyrics serving as a perfect counterpoint to the musicality of the album. There have been a lot of negative reviews for this album, but personally, I feel it is just as strong as Silent Alarm, but it needs a lot more time to grow on you. But what really makes it so appealing is that Bloc Party did not give us more of the same, but took their music in a new and beautiful direction. I can't wait to hear what comes next.

Bloc Party is one of those prolific bands that is constantly writing material. Between albums they write a new song - they release it as a new single. When they go in to write for an album, they write enough material for two albums and then release a constant stream of singles and EPs with unreleased b-sides. As a fan I love this, because they always have something new or something I haven't heard yet.

This is the Japanese (Import) version of their latest full length 'A Weekend In The City'. The cool thing about this version is that it has two Bonus tracks: "We Were Lovers" and "England". Both songs are great and are as good as any of the songs that build up the "core" of this album. "We Were Lovers" starts as a pretty and intricate song that breaks out into a driving rocker about half way through. This follows the pattern of many of the songs on this album - they build to a release. I think this works well. "England" is a more moderate tempoed song that stays mostly constant and has a good catchy riff.

The "core" group of songs that make up this album are the same no matter where it was released. It is a very cohesive album of songs that all fit well together. There are some solid stand out tracks - 'Uniform', 'Song for Clay'; and some great singles - 'Hunting for Witches', 'I Still Remember'.

*I just wanted to make sure to point out that the Bonus Tracks here are different than the ones that came on the Best Buy and the Target Exclusive versions of this album. The Target version contains the Bonus Tracks 'The Once And Future King' and 'Secrets'. These are also really good songs, especially 'The Once And Future King'. 'Emma Kate's Accident' and 'Version 2.0' are on the Best Buy version. I have bought all three of these versions of this album ( and also a number of the singles) so I could get all these great b-sides. I've found about 12 b-side tracks after searching through all the different versions of this album and its accompanying singles!

'A Weekend In The City' is a great sophomore effort from a great (dance-rock?) band. Fans of good music will like this one. Fans of Bloc Party like myself, will enjoy hunting down all the great b-sides. Wikipedia.org has a good breakdown of their discography which will help you find all their hard to find tracks. Also look at some of the international Amazon websites for sinlges and versions that may not be on the U.S. Amazon site. Happy Hunting.

The critics, as you may have read didn't review this album quite well..i was really surprised because they all reviewd Silent Alarm as an heavenly awesome incredible album..while this one was just 'normal'..
to me is TOTALLY the opposite.. i mean.. silent alarm is a nice album with a pair of great songs and a good rest..WHILE this one, to me is really a Pearl among Stones..every single song has something to say..each song is particoular..and different from the last one..the album in general is more experimental..it's not the usual rocky band boring guitar-bass-drums music..you'll hear many sounds that you wont' be able to recognise and weird but lovely and emotional vocal lines..to me every song is really good..the best among all this good stuff are surely: The Prayer (with the gratest chorus Bloc Party have ever written), Song for Clay, Waiting for the 7.18, and my favourite I Still Remember which ,to me, is the best Emo-Indie song ever written..
that's all folks..
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