Topic: Bloc Party (Read 17905 times)

Oerdin · « **on:** 11 Feb 2005, 12:27 »

Have any of you folks given a listen to the British Band Bloc Party? I just bought the CD and I'm really liking its Indie meets Punk type sound (think Gang of Four & The Cure). I bought the CD after a friend of mine saw them in Reading last week and said he just totally loved them. They could be one of the best Brit Bands in the last few years.

I just thought I'd give this band a shot out and see what you folks think of them.

blindsuperhero · « **Reply #1 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 12:31 »

Brit Bands... what a disconcerting turn of phrase

Oerdin · « **Reply #2 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 12:39 »

Checking the concert schedule it looks like they're playing the Troubador in LA on the 23 but that concerts sold out. It looks like there next gig in my area will be the Coachella Valley Music Festival at the end of April.

Never the less the line up looks pretty damn good:

Saturday, April 30th
Coldplay
Bauhaus
Cocteau Twins
Weezer
Chemical Brothers
Wilco
Snow Patrol
Keane
Rilo Kiley
Doves
Secret Machines
Spoon
Radio 4
Razorlight
Eisley
Ambulance LTD
Bloc Party

Sunday, May 1st
Nine Inch Nails
New Order
Gang of Four
Bright Eyes
The Faint
The Arcade Fire
British Sea Power
Dresden Dolls
Fiery Furnaces
Tegan and Sara
Stereophonics
Autolux
The Bravery
The Futureheads
Kasabian

I'm mostly interested in Wilco, Weezer, Bloc Party, New Order, The Arcade Fire, British Sea Power, and The Dresden Dolls. Of course those are all on different days so I'd have to buy a $150 two day pass instead of the $80 one day pass. Still, it wouldn't be so bad if I could get a cheap enough room and convince a few of my old college friends to come alone.

Zeb · « **Reply #3 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 14:46 »

I hear Weezer blows on stage though. They're my favorite band, but because I've never heard good of one o' their life concerts, I have avoided them.

muffy · « **Reply #4 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 14:51 »

bloc party are ace - saw them last week with the killers, Kele is the coolest frontman I've seen in a long long time...
Seeing LCD soundsystem in about an hour though, which should be good, though they were gash when I last saw them...

And coachella on the second day is the closest thing to heaven if you ignore the fact that Kasabian and Stereochronics are playing - shame I live in England

rynne · « **Reply #5 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 23:23 »

I've heard a bunch of their songs on WOXY. â€œHelicopterâ€? in particular I like a lot.

Praeserpium Machinarum · « **Reply #6 on:** 11 Feb 2005, 23:45 »

I like Banquet and thats all I have heard from them, that is probably a mistake..

Oerdin · « **Reply #7 on:** 12 Feb 2005, 04:09 »

Quote from: muffy

And coachella on the second day is the closest thing to heaven if you ignore the fact that Kasabian and Stereochronics are playing - shame I live in England

Yeah, the line up is pretty strong and not even Kasabian or the 'phonics can bring it down.

thehoopiestfrood · « **Reply #8 on:** 14 Feb 2005, 04:03 »

Bloc Party are utterly awesome!

kilconey · « **Reply #9 on:** 14 Feb 2005, 16:46 »

Quote from: Zeb

I hear Weezer blows on stage though. They're my favorite band, but because I've never heard good of one o' their life concerts, I have avoided them.

I found that to be INCREDIBLY untrue. They sound awesome onstage. I mean they don't jump around and act like fools, but they deliver and they sound good unlike a lot of bands when they get live.

Anyway Bloc Party's songs are alright, but the guy can't sing at all. He bothers me.

muffy · « **Reply #10 on:** 14 Feb 2005, 16:57 »

The new single is gash, but Banquet is one of the best tunes ever..

Johnny C · « **Reply #11 on:** 14 Feb 2005, 21:07 »

I should find some MP3s. Not only do their reviews interest me, but so does their album art. The reason that fact is important is that is how I found Wilco, The Dismemberment Plan, and The Tyde.

KharBevNor · « **Reply #12 on:** 15 Feb 2005, 10:38 »

Hmm. Traffic offered me free tickets to these guys a few days back. I could take up the offer, but I don't wanna travel all the way to southhampton just to promote some band I probably don't want to see.

I mean, I DID join the 'Extreme Metal and Hardcore' team.

madamelau · « **Reply #13 on:** 19 Feb 2005, 09:16 »

hehe. i know them.
the guitarist russell is one of my best friends. they are a lovely bunch of lads and very good at what they do. they've come an awfully long way from the dirty back street pubs of london x

muffy · « **Reply #14 on:** 19 Feb 2005, 10:20 »

Is that you, Laura?

Johnny C · « **Reply #15 on:** 19 Feb 2005, 11:03 »

StupidityKills · « **Reply #16 on:** 21 Feb 2005, 03:13 »

Bloc Party are teh awesome.
And if you like them, you'll love New Rhodes (Bloc Party sure do!)
http://www.NewRhodes.com
Their second single 'You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back came out last monday and reached no 38 in the charts yesterday (no. 4 in the indie charts)

Johnny C · « **Reply #17 on:** 21 Feb 2005, 12:41 »

Quote from: Oerdin

Indie meets Punk type sound (think Gang of Four & The Cure).

I missed this the first time around, I guess. The proper term is "post-punk," and it is a good sound indeed.

blindsuperhero · « **Reply #18 on:** 21 Feb 2005, 12:44 »

The proper term is "new-fangled-rock-n-roll", and it's horrible. Just horrible.

dontstaylong · « **Reply #19 on:** 25 Feb 2005, 10:56 »

i ordered the album off cdwow.com last week... should get here any day now. (damn, i meant to check the box today to see if it's there!)

cannawait!

Apathy · « **Reply #20 on:** 25 Feb 2005, 11:15 »

I listened to So Here We Are and couldn't help but think 'Lightening Seeds'.

loyalpeon · « **Reply #21 on:** 26 Feb 2005, 07:39 »

I donno - to me they seem a little all over the place. Some of the tracks i've heard from them I really like (Here We Are, Little Thoughts & Banquet), but i've heard like 5 others where they're frankly a little off - i think the vocals are kinda out of tune with the music on them... i donno...

one thing that really pisses me off is that they're really being pushed through the system - like ALL the alt. radio stations/mags seem to play them up the wazoo...

oh well - they're not that bad really - i think they'll be supporting razorlight in march so i'll get to see how they are live. i reserve further judgement until then

StupidityKills · « **Reply #22 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 02:15 »

Quote from: loyalpeon

I donno - to me they seem a little all over the place. Some of the tracks i've heard from them I really like (Here We Are, Little Thoughts & Banquet), but i've heard like 5 others where they're frankly a little off - i think the vocals are kinda out of tune with the music on them... i donno...

one thing that really pisses me off is that they're really being pushed through the system - like ALL the alt. radio stations/mags seem to play them up the wazoo...

oh well - they're not that bad really - i think they'll be supporting razorlight in march so i'll get to see how they are live. i reserve further judgement until then

Saying they're pushed through the system is shit, they've been working hard for years and are a really great band, they're just getting the recognition they deserve.

Alkatyl · « **Reply #23 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 06:07 »

Calling Bloc Party's sound as a Indie meet's Post Punk sound is a rather innovative way of describing them. You can definately tell that their guitar and drum work has been heavily influenced by the Pixies, Sonic Youth and Joy Division, but it's just such a contemporary sound as well. They were such hot property in 2004 for the record labels.

Such a pity they didn't put some of their finer tracks onto the album. A few of their b-sides (The Answer and Tulips) are a hell of a lot better than some of their tracks on Silent Alarm.

Does anyone know which band member from Bloc Party has a stutter? I heard a decent 15 minute interview of the boys and (I think it's either Gordon or Russel) one of them had a quite profound stutter. Thanks if you answer this one for me.

loyalpeon · « **Reply #24 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 08:53 »

Quote from: StupidityKills

Quote from: loyalpeon
I donno - to me they seem a little all over the place. Some of the tracks i've heard from them I really like (Here We Are, Little Thoughts & Banquet), but i've heard like 5 others where they're frankly a little off - i think the vocals are kinda out of tune with the music on them... i donno...

one thing that really pisses me off is that they're really being pushed through the system - like ALL the alt. radio stations/mags seem to play them up the wazoo...

oh well - they're not that bad really - i think they'll be supporting razorlight in march so i'll get to see how they are live. i reserve further judgement until then

Saying they're pushed through the system is shit, they've been working hard for years and are a really great band, they're just getting the recognition they deserve.

aye - perhaps you're right...

StupidityKills · « **Reply #25 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 10:01 »

Quote from: Alkatyl

Such a pity they didn't put some of their finer tracks onto the album. A few of their b-sides (The Answer and Tulips) are a hell of a lot better than some of their tracks on Silent Alarm.

Does anyone know which band member from Bloc Party has a stutter? I heard a decent 15 minute interview of the boys and (I think it's either Gordon or Russel) one of them had a quite profound stutter. Thanks if you answer this one for me.

I know, I was so shocked by some they left off, Little Thoughts and Staying Fat especially.

GNI · « **Reply #26 on:** 28 Feb 2005, 11:33 »

Meh, i like em. Went to see them a little while back. I wont be booking tickets for the next tour though... they've done a bit of a Franz in my opinion, once a band hits the mainstream i tend to go off them a bit. Maybe thats just my elitism, buts liking the bands no-one knows and supporting them is much more fun. For their October tour, they are charging about £15 per ticket, personally i dont think that they are worth that, and the only reason they are commanding that price is that every man and their dog likes them.

The more i think about it, the more i realise i am being elitist.

Alkatyl · « **Reply #27 on:** 01 Mar 2005, 01:01 »

It was Franz Ferdinand that created the hype about them for the record labels. The two bands are very close, and with out Franz Ferdinand's support last year, it wouldn't be likely they'd be on a label at all.

CommanderVenus · « **Reply #28 on:** 01 Mar 2005, 08:30 »

i definitely like Bloc Party...good stuff!

madamelau · « **Reply #29 on:** 06 Mar 2005, 08:19 »

Quote from: muffy

Is that you, Laura?

i'm trying so hard to work out whether or not i know you but its making my brain hurt. :/ do i?

ElRodente · « **Reply #30 on:** 06 Mar 2005, 08:22 »

that sounds like a fun game

go on random messageboards, find someone with their actual name in their username, then claim you know them

hooray for brit music?

madamelau · « **Reply #31 on:** 06 Mar 2005, 08:23 »

Quote from: Alkatyl

Does anyone know which band member from Bloc Party has a stutter? I heard a decent 15 minute interview of the boys and (I think it's either Gordon or Russel) one of them had a quite profound stutter. Thanks if you answer this one for me.

it's actually kele who has a strong stammer. russell does tend to stutter a little at times but its rare for him to even speak in an interview as he's so shy. so, more than likely it was kele you heard in that interview. x

madamelau · « **Reply #32 on:** 06 Mar 2005, 08:24 »

Quote from: El-Rodente

that sounds like a fun game

go on random messageboards, find someone with their actual name in their username, then claim you know them

hooray for brit music?

lol, that was my initial thought but then i was looking at some of the shows she's listed going to in her posts and i started wondering whether or not i did know her.

x</strike>

I revoke ALL of the above... my brain has finally clicked into gear, I apologise for being so silly. Yes its me Muffy... How are you? It feels like a lifetime since I saw you... Ohhh and did you manage to get into the Bright Eyes show next week, no guarentees as yet but theres a chance Mr Straight Jonny won't be joining me so I may have a spare ticket ... along with full fledged invitation to party time at Trash afterwards with the wonderful Russell on the decks... xxxx

muffy · « **Reply #33 on:** 06 Mar 2005, 16:36 »

D'oh - I just pm-d you before I read that!
I don;t have a ticket and press pass blagging isn;t going too well - I'll find out tomorrow (gonna call Saddle Creek, that guy who was bothering you will be working for them as of tomorrow), but will send you a text or call either way!
And have bad, bad memories of Trash, (went there for my birthday) but always willing to give it another go!

And back on track with the topic...
Bloc Party are growing on me hugely, I think it's just because I keep listening to Banquet and Little Thoughts repeatedly...

madamelau · « **Reply #34 on:** 08 Mar 2005, 07:14 »

Noooooooooooo!
Don't give in to them, Stay strong! I'm slowly losing my "Anti-Bloc" army. Damn boy with his puppy eyes.

Banquet is being re-released by the way, I think April 18th, I say think because listening when the band is being discussed is not my forte. HA.

Sorry about the Bright Eyes ticket, Jonnys going to get a major ear-bashing on the way there & I intend to have him abused at Trash. I'm nice like that. If you do find any way to go though you should definately come to the club.

dontstaylong · « **Reply #35 on:** 08 Mar 2005, 09:45 »

after getting the album in the mail and listening to it non-stop, i can definetly say it's not what i was expecting... still very good, there are just some really weak tracks on this.. i wind up pressing the skip button far too much for my liking.

StupidityKills · « **Reply #36 on:** 11 Mar 2005, 03:09 »

I have an extremely geeky BlocParty joke.

Quote

so kéle of the bloc party walks into a furniture shop, dragging behind him a brand new mattress. He walks up to the manager and the scene unfolds as follows:
Manager: 'may i help you sir?'
Kéle: 'yes, i'd like to return this mattress.'
Manager: 'but sir, it looks perfectly fine to me.'
Kéle: 'yeah, it's fine. it's just not what i was looking for.'
Manager: 'oh, i'm terribly sorry sir. were you hoping for a mirricoil?'

I am so sorry.

*snigger*

madamelau · « **Reply #37 on:** 19 Mar 2005, 12:27 »

haha thats quite a good one actually, i'd tell him it if i wasnt afraid of getting a slap x

Apathy · « **Reply #38 on:** 19 Mar 2005, 13:07 »

I'm about to sound like a hypocrite in a way but I care not - I shall say it anyway!

One of my pet hates is musical trends, i.e People dressing to a set way in order to blend in with whatever style their chosen genre demands.

I saw a Bloc Party video and all I saw was a few guys wearing long coats and scarves. I just turned it off. I know that Bloc Party are probably a very talented band ( I keep thinking of The Lightening Seeds when I hear them for some reason ) but I can't shake the fact that seeing them so blatantly 'rock the indie image' annoys me1

'Tis hypocritical because I've always believed it's about the music alone and imagery shouldn't matter, but I guess I'm too judgemental for my own good.

wheriend_ndyubgn · « **Reply #39 on:** 23 Mar 2005, 21:04 »

Quote from: kilconey

Quote from: Zeb
I hear Weezer blows on stage though. They're my favorite band, but because I've never heard good of one o' their life concerts, I have avoided them.

I found that to be INCREDIBLY untrue. They sound awesome onstage. I mean they don't jump around and act like fools, but they deliver and they sound good unlike a lot of bands when they get live.

touche. ive seen weezer live before, and yea, they certainly dont go nuts (they are still weezer, after all) but i think they sound better live then they do in their recordings.

rynne · « **Reply #40 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 09:48 »

I got this album. Personally, I'm thinking they're getting a over-hyped. I think they have a number of great songs, and the album is incredibly solid, but I don't feel they're the *great* band a lot of people are making them out to be.

The album is a good listen and I'll probably check them out on the US tour, but I'm not blown away in the way I was with, say, Franz Ferdinand.

The Popo · « **Reply #41 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 10:43 »

Quote from: Oerdin

Checking the concert schedule it looks like they're playing the Troubador in LA on the 23 but that concerts sold out. It looks like there next gig in my area will be the Coachella Valley Music Festival at the end of April.

Never the less the line up looks pretty damn good:

Saturday, April 30th
Coldplay
Bauhaus
Cocteau Twins
Weezer
Chemical Brothers
Wilco
Snow Patrol
Keane
Rilo Kiley
Doves
Secret Machines
Spoon
Radio 4
Razorlight
Eisley
Ambulance LTD
Bloc Party

Sunday, May 1st
Nine Inch Nails
New Order
Gang of Four
Bright Eyes
The Faint
The Arcade Fire
British Sea Power
Dresden Dolls
Fiery Furnaces
Tegan and Sara
Stereophonics
Autolux
The Bravery
The Futureheads
Kasabian

I'm mostly interested in Wilco, Weezer, Bloc Party, New Order, The Arcade Fire, British Sea Power, and The Dresden Dolls. Of course those are all on different days so I'd have to buy a $150 two day pass instead of the $80 one day pass. Still, it wouldn't be so bad if I could get a cheap enough room and convince a few of my old college friends to come alone.

I'd go to Coachella just for Wilco. If I had the ability to have children, I'd steal Jeff Tweedy's seed.

anduril · « **Reply #42 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 10:44 »

Quote from: StupidityKills

Bloc Party are teh awesome.
And if you like them, you'll love New Rhodes (Bloc Party sure do!)
http://www.NewRhodes.com
Their second single 'You've Given Me Something That I Can't Give Back came out last monday and reached no 38 in the charts yesterday (no. 4 in the indie charts)

I've seen NR a couple of times. One of the girls I work with knows Jack personally through some obsure marching band connection. She hooked me up with some of the old recordings from the just plain Rhodes days too. I was overjoyed when they made the charts.

Hairy Joe Bob · « **Reply #43 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 13:25 »

My mate thinks Kele sounds like Damon Albarn. I don't agree, but does anyone else?

Cpt.Fantastic · « **Reply #44 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 14:36 »

Meh.
Baby likes Bloc Party.
Baby likes the Bravery more though.

muffy · « **Reply #45 on:** 24 Mar 2005, 17:05 »

He does sound a bot damon-ish...
But, more importantly...
The Bravery are like a third rate version of The Faint, only with less panache. And they're all gimps.

Even if I really do quite like their single

Bah, I just get bitter when the bands that are better get ignored as they're not as hype-worthy.

japanese.gum · « **Reply #46 on:** 25 Mar 2005, 22:09 »

Bloc party is playing here in TWO DAYS.

but it was sold out so fast it made my head spin, and my wallet was SO empty at the time.

i could just die.

ackackackkk

ElRodente · « **Reply #47 on:** 27 Mar 2005, 12:10 »

Quote from: muffy

He does sound a bot damon-ish...
But, more importantly...
The Bravery are like a third rate version of The Faint, only with less panache. And they're all gimps.

Even if I really do quite like their single

Bah, I just get bitter when the bands that are better get ignored as they're not as hype-worthy.

apparently brian ferry is a fan of the bravery

SA · « **Reply #48 on:** 27 Mar 2005, 12:14 »

The Bravery are rubbish.
As for Bloc Party, they have a couple of alright songs. The rest is boring.

Spencer · « **Reply #49 on:** 26 Apr 2005, 09:00 »

As a music geek, I like to try and stay hip with the trends. I'd been hearing a lot hype about Bloc Party, so I decided to download the album, fully expecting not to liek it in the slightest (I think 90% of that expectation had to do with the way they spelled their name). A few days later I had found myself getting bored with listening to pinback repeatedly, nonstop. So I decided to put this album on and give it a once over before I deleted it forever.

Wow. From the opening notes I was totally captivated. I was also really high, but that's besides the point. I ended up really enjoying the album this album. The first half is a lot stronger than the last half, but thats great, cause my attention span isnt that long anyway. It's infectiously catchy indie-pop, and I constantly find myself with snippets of their songs stuck in my head now (like, literally right now, which is hwy I felt the need to dredge up this thread and post my 2 cents).

As an interesting aside, I heard them on The OC the other night. I love The OC.

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: Bloc Party (Read 17905 times)

blindsuperhero

Zeb

Praeserpium Machinarum

thehoopiestfrood

madamelau

StupidityKills

blindsuperhero

dontstaylong

Apathy

StupidityKills

Alkatyl

StupidityKills

GNI

Alkatyl

CommanderVenus

madamelau

madamelau

madamelau

madamelau

dontstaylong

StupidityKills

madamelau

Apathy

wheriend_ndyubgn

The Popo

anduril

Cpt.Fantastic

japanese.gum

SA

Spencer