Bloc Party - Hymns

	€		21
	$		25

Allgemein

Trackliste LP - 1

Trackliste LP - 2

Beschreibung

Beschreibung

Bloc Party returned after a two-year hiatus with Hymns, the first set of songs to feature drummer Louise Bartle and bassist Justin Harris, formerly of the band Menomena. Kele Okereke's fondness for soaring choruses and meditations on sex, drugs, and faith -- and how they often blur together -- provide the main connection to the band's previous work. Backed by slide guitars and a stomping beat, Okereke sings "I used to find my answers in the gospels of St. John/Now I find them in the bottom of a shot glass" on "The Good News." Hymns' ballads are some of its strongest moments, and the most reminiscent of Bloc Party 1.0 and Okereke's solo career. "My True Name" and "Fortress" serve as reminders that their plaintive melodies and soul-baring are still potent, while "Different Drugs'" chemically enhanced portrait of being alone together recalls Bloc Party's highest emotional peaks. "So Real" and "Into the Earth" are intimate, guitar-driven sketches that make the most of Hymns' more straightforward sounds and emotions while taking the band's music in new directions. ~ Heather Phares

Heather Phares

Beschreibung

For most of their career, it seemed like Bloc Party could incorporate just about any sound into their music and still sound like themselves: On Weekend in the City and Intimacy, they added electronic elements to their razor-sharp dance-punk with anthemic results, and flirted with grunge and metal when they returned to jackknifing riffs and rhythms on Four. However, the biggest risk they take on Hymns might be continuing under the Bloc Party name. Between Four and this album, drummer Matt Tong and bassist Gordon Moakes left the group and were replaced by Louise Bartle and former Menomena member Justin Harris. While the new members don't sound like hired hands, the way Moakes and Tong's taut, astringent playing balanced Kele Okereke's earnestness is missed on Hymns. Indeed, Okereke's fondness for soaring choruses and meditations on sex, drugs, and faith -- and how they often blur together -- provide the main connection to the band's previous work. However, from the album's title to its lyrics, Hymns' expressions of searching and salvation are more overt than ever. Backed by slide guitars and a stomping beat, Okereke sings "I used to find my answers in the Gospels of St. John/Now I find them in the bottom of a shot glass" on "The Good News," and the results are both heavy-handed and not hard-hitting enough. Hymns' ballads are some of its strongest moments, and, not coincidentally, the most reminiscent of Bloc Party 1.0 and Okereke's solo career. "My True Name" and "Fortress" serve as reminders that their plaintive melodies and soul-baring are still potent, while "Different Drugs'" chemically enhanced portrait of being alone together recalls Bloc Party's highest emotional peaks. When the band attempts to branch out, the results are mixed: "So Real" and "Into the Earth" are intimate, guitar-driven sketches that make the most of Hymns' more straightforward sounds and emotions, but the bubbling "The Love Within" feels simplistic instead of euphoric. Ultimately, Hymns finds Bloc Party stuck between a fresh start and continuing their legacy, leaving their identity -- which once seemed so distinctive -- compromised. [This version of the album included four bonus tracks.] ~ Heather Phares

Heather Phares

Mitwirkende

• Artist: Bloc Party
• Record Label: BMG Rights Management
• Record Label: Infectious Music
• Record Label: Vagrant