London indie quartet Bloc Party are the talk of the town, constantly being compared with Franz Ferdinand. Do they live up to the hype? Yes and no.
Edgy, post-punk guitars aside, Bloc Party are not really like the Scots in sound or image. Nor, tellingly, do they feel so contrived. Silent Alarm is a fine debut album, where every track is bursting with ideas. The songs balance fear and optimism in equal measure. If there is a gripe, Bloc Party are guilty of over-complicating matters; of trying to cram too many ideas into one album. They are at their best when they let the songs, such as So Here We Are and Banquet, take centre stage and speak for themselves. It is time for Bloc Party to do the same.
Updated: 09:01 Thursday, February 24, 2005
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