Indie rock/post-punk revival group Bloc Party are without a doubt best known for their debut album, Silent Alarm. A record packed full of fun, simple-yet-effective indie hits like Banquet and Helicopter showcased the bands potential, and at the time of the release many thought the band was destined for big things.
Silent Alarm was, and still is an album I enjoy quite a bit. Frontman Kele Okereke is a ball of energy throughout the track, and the band does a great job of utilizing some very catchy riffs and drum beats. In the years that followed however, the band's releases became progressively less and less interesting. Following their debut, they released A Weekend in the City, an album that was much less fun and upbeat than their previous effort, but did still end up being a solid, more serious record. On their third release Intimacy, the band began toying with more elements of dance music and really utilizing the synthesizer and other electronic aspects in their sound, a risk that didn't pay off too well. They followed that up with Four, an album that for lack of better words, just wasn't up to much. Ironically it's been four years since the release of Four, and now the band is back with two new members and the intentions to reach the same success they once achieved with their debut.
Unlike most, the lead single from Hymns; The Love Within, had me excited for Bloc Party's fifth full-length release, as the fusion of disco and alt-rock made for a very intriguing combination. It was danceable, and in my opinion at least, showed improvement from their last few releases. What I didn't expect going into this album however, was the religious subject matter that accompanied it. Tracks like Only He Can Heal Me and The Good News are both very largely influenced lyrically by religion. While not necessarily a make or break factor on an album, hearing a band spout off about their religious beliefs is not exactly the ideal lyrics on an indie record, for me at least. With that being said, it wasn't the most disappointing element of Bloc Party's latest release, not by a long shot.
Despite the misleading lead single, the band, rather than looking to create danceable fast paced electronic rock like you may expect, deliver a slowed down, scaled back ambient style of music.
Now on certain tracks, like Fortress, thanks to a strong vocal performance by Kele, the decision actually pays off fairly well. As a whole though, the album serves as nothing more than a tease, throwing flashes of interesting riffs and drum patterns, only to be watered down and make way for Kele, who at times on the album feels as if he's the only actual member of the band. It's not bad to stand out from the rest of your bandmates, something he often did on their older records, but when it's to the point that you don't even really know what the band behind him is doing, it really has me questioning if they're all on the same page. It wouldn't surprise me if that was the case on certain tracks, as there were rumours surrounding the band's potential disbandment during the production of this album.
The album isn't bad, and it does have some decent moments. The guitar on tracks like The Good News and Into The Earth shows promise, and there's nothing wrong with the vocals on any particular cut. It's more of just the album as a whole, which feels very empty. The attempt at ambient rock doesn't make for anything special or interesting, and the best moments of the album are definitely those where the band turn back to their roots, as momentary as those spots may be. If you head into this album hoping to find the band that made Silent Alarm or A Weekend in the City, you'll be sorely disappointed. Then again, you also would have been disappointed over their last few releases as well.
Favorite Tracks: The Love Within, So Real, Fortress
Least Favorite Tracks: Only He Can Heal Me, Living Lux
Rating: 3/5
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