Bloc PartyTitle: A Weekend in the CityLabel: Grouse Lodge StudiosGenre: Indie RockReleased: Feb. 7, 2005Rating: * * *
With an intro in “Song for Clay” that might make a few people cringe, lead singer Kele Okereke attempts to softly capture the audience for A Weekend in the City to no avail due to his crackling London voice.
It’s obvious the UK-based group is more suited to the fast-paced electronic indie rock that made its previous release Silent Alarm a smash hit.
They pick up the pace and finish off the song strong and solid, sounding more like themselves. “Hunting for Witches” give us that strong sense of build-up that delivers a satisfying dose of infectious chorus material to sing along and tap our toes to.
If you’re looking for a mellow song reminiscent of “Blue Light” from Silent Alarm, then “Waiting for the 7.18” delivers with a peppy, melodic tune.
The real gem of this album is “The Prayer,” which describes the wish of every musician who has ever tried to attain stardom.
The other hit on A Weekend in the City is “I Still Remember,” along with the music video released on television and the Internet. It’s a nice break from the group’s overly energetic music, and encourages you to relax and take time to remember something.
The song “Uniform” is anything but uniform, starting off extremely slow and working its way up to the ferocious frenzy Bloc Party is famous for.
The trio of songs leading up to “I Still Remember” is one of the major pitfalls of the album. “On,” “Where Is Home?,” and “Kreuzberg” are Bloc Party’s attempts to sound more mature but end up only making songs that are slower and decidedly less interesting to listen to than the rest of the album.
“Sunday” is the classic song about the girl who inspires and who you’ll love “in the morning.” “SXRT” is a nice song to close an album with. It’s slow, powerful and showcases the pure musical ability the UK four-piece band has to offer.
Listening to this album it’s hard to believe Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack started off writing songs in bedrooms in 1999 and didn’t complete their lineup until 2003.
This is a valiant attempt at maturing but A Weekend in the City comes off only marginally better than satisfactory. Still a must have for any Bloc Party die-hard fan.
