Best on the Bloc

Here it is... now the rest can go home and cry, as the album of the year (listen here) has already been crowned, or, at the very least, the bar has been seriously raised (how about Spoon's Gimme Fiction coming out in May?)

Mix in a lot of Gang of Four, and equal parts Joy Division, The Fall, The Cure and the more modern execution of Franz Ferdinand and well... you have a pretty nice mix tape. You also get something akin to this danceable and angular release from UK's Bloc Party. Not just an homage to the past, though, these brit rockers are all about big indie rock sound and execution. Armed with juicy guitar hooks and possibly the best rhythm section since The Minutemen, Silent Alarm comes across as a rather loud alarm to the charts, that indie rock is taking over. Every song is a mini epic masterpiece, but don't take my word for it, listen - tracks like "Like Eating Glass" and "Luno" are great workouts.

Of course I've been saying for months that Bloc Party Silent Alarm is the real deal. I believe I last said something to the affect that they would be this year's Franz Ferdinand, but I don't think that nearly goes far enough. I should've said they're quite possibly this decade's Nirvana. How so, you might ask? Well, both took principals of 80's underground rock and instead of just copping it, turned it into something more then it was. Crossing-over with songwriting and playing chops, but keeping it still dangerous enough to keep the indie kids happy. "Helicopter" has a line that sort of sums up my review: "Are you hoping for a miracle." Well, as a matter of fact I have been, and it appears to have been answered. Here's hoping they tear the roof off the sucka.


PS - Eli loves Bloc Party