This album was an unexpected hit of 2005 for me. I followed the band loosely for a couple of years before their debut release, watching them release Banquet several times and making appearances way down on the billing list at Reading Festival. It was clear that they enjoyed a live performance and were capable of synthesising a catchy tune, so I snapped up Silent Alarm on the day it came out. ... read more
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Styled more along the lines of a revolutionary cell than a band, Bloc Party approach the medium of rock'n'roll with the sort of high seriousness usually reserved for philosophy lectures. Yet on Silent Alarm, this "autonomous unit" of smart, wiry London youth don't just succeed in reinvigorating the artform--they come pB
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Styled more along the lines of a revolutionary cell than a band, Bloc Party approach the medium of rock'n'roll with the sort of high seriousness usually reserved for philosophy lectures. Yet on Silent Alarm, this "autonomous unit" of smart, wiry London youth don't just succeed in reinvigorating the artform--they come pretty close to reinventing it from the ground up. Whereas early singles like "She's Hearing Voices" found the band still attempting to chisel their own image out of familiar post-punk reference points--The Fall, Joy Division, and Gang Of Four, to name but three--newer tracks such as "Like Eating Glass" and the prickly "Price Of Gas" find Bloc Party pioneering a freshly-minted template of staccato percussion, expansive soundscapes, and cryptic lyrics that artfully straddle the political and the personal. Russell Lissack has forsaken that overdone hallmark of post-punk, brittle tortured-fretboard skronk, in favor of an effects-laden guitar sound that adds genuine prettiness to Bloc Party's edgy rush. But it's Kele Okereke's vocal that's the band's most flexible facet, morphing from frothing anger to breathless desperation. "Are you hoping for a miracle?" he bays, on "Helicopter". Yes? Well Silent Alarm ably fits the bill. --Louis Pattison
"Artist: Bloc Party
Country of Origin: England
Year of Release: 2005
Favourite three tracks:
1. Banquet
2. So Here We Are
3. Helicopter
Metacritic rating: 82
Reviewed? Here!"
The Flagship posted a review 3 years, 5 months ago
“This album was an unexpected hit of 2005 for me. I followed the band loosely for a couple of years before their debut release, watching them release Banquet several times and making appearances way down on the billing list at Reading Festival. It was clear that they enjoyed a live performance and were capable of synthesising a catchy tune, so I snapped up Silent Alarm on the day it came out.
It was very much an unregrettable action as the record is packed full of hits. The aforementioned Banquet remains one of my favourite songs, but they've also got So Here We Are, Pioneers, Helicopter, and This Modern Life as instantly recognisable (and top quality) tracks, whilst there isn't really a lull in proceedings until track 9.
The end of the album does not finish as strongly” read more
GoodFaith added this to a list 3 years, 6 months ago
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