Bloc Party

[powerhour24]

As much as I admire their unique sound, I'd like to see what Kele comes up with, he's gotten good at a variety of songwriting.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Hey, peeps. Do any on you have a good quality .mp3 of 'One More Chance' that you wouldn't mind sharing with me? It's only available on U.K. iTunes, so being in the U.S., I can't buy it. I found a crappy, low bit-rate copy on the Internet, but I'd like something of a better quality, if I can.

I'm trying to make myself a track list/version of Intimacy that I much prefer over the actual released album.

Please and thank you.

fitzchivalry@gmail.com

 

[powerhour24]

Gah Fitzy, that bump got me excited.

 

[FitzChivalry]

Sorry, Power. heh heh heh

Ummm, latest news I've heard: they're still on break and all doing separate things.

Gordy just played with a new band, Young Legionnaires, in London.

Russell is working on his side project, Pin Me Down, with Milena Mepris and they have a new track available called 'Time Crisis'.

Kele has a blog. I just took a quick glance at it and I didn't see anything about his solo project, but I'm sure he's up to something.

And I haven't heard a damn word about Matt.

Still hoping to get a good copy of 'One More Chance', if anyone's able. Thanks!

 

[cobl04]

Kele actually did a DJ set in one of the clubs in the city here a few weeks ago. i didn't go though.

 

[nielsgov]

I really hope we haven't heard the last of them as a band.

 

[cobl04]

if the next album were to be full of banal club tripe like One More Chance, i hope so.

 

[FitzChivalry]

I heard Intimacy was recorded in exactly two weeks . . .


. . . that explains a lot!

 

[bono_212]

Yes, a band who was constantly doing things for nearly 3 years takes a year or two of break. They're definitely over.

 

[phanan]

I still really dig Intimacy.

 

[FitzChivalry]

I still really dig Intimacy.

I really dig half of Intimacy: Ares, Mercury, Signs, Better Than Heaven, Ion Square, and Your Visits Are Getting Shorter.

As much as I want to like them, I just can't seem to get behind: Halo, Trojan Horse or One Month Off, though One Month Off is the best of these 3. (Oddly, I really love the Halo remix off Intimacy Remixed.)

Talons is ok. Decent.

And Biko might be a lot better if he didn't sing it in that God-awful falsetto.

 

[bono_212]

"Biko" might be my favorite song on that album .

Maybe it's because it was my introduction to the band, but I really do dig Intimacy. Nowhere near as much as Silent Alarm though, and Napster still doesn't have Weekend in the City .

 

[powerhour24]

I love Talons among others. The whole album has more substance than people give it credit for, kind of like Pop.

 

[FitzChivalry]

The whole album has more substance than people give it credit for, kind of like Pop.

Lyrically, I love Intimacy; Kele did a great job.

I just think some of the songs are a bit underdone melody-wise. I feel like with the "rockers", they sacrificed melody and arrangement for the sake of effects and distortion. Instead of a nimble, light, fluffy croissant (like say, 'This Modern Love', 'Luno', 'Helicopter' or 'Like Eating Glass'), I feel like 'Halo', 'Trojan Horse', 'One Month Off' and some of 'Talons' are undercooked, heavy dough.

Just my two cents.

I still love this band to death . . . and I think everyone knows it.

 

[u2popmofo]

I agree with Fitz. None of the songs were bad, I just think they could have done much better on Intimacy.

 

[cobl04]

so were all agreed.

it wasn't bad, but it could have been much better.

 

[nielsgov]

Talons and Biko are two of my favourite BP songs though.

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

We've had this conversation a handful of times.

Intimacy kicks ass.

GET OUT OF THE WAY OR GET FUCKED UP!

 

[u2popmofo]

Pitchfork: Bloc Party Frontman Kele Goes Solo

With Bloc Party on hiatus, frontman Kele Okereke is striking out on his own. On June 21 in the UK and June 22 in the U.S., Kele (now just going by his first name) will release The Boxer, his solo debut, via Wichita/Polydor and Glassnote in North America, South America, Southeast Asia, and South Africa.

For The Boxer, Kele teamed up with Spank Rock producer XXXChange to make an album of electronic pop. In a press release about the album, Kele said, "The key for the sound of the record was to take things as harsh and as physical as I could make it. The reason for going there was that these are the sounds that make me the happiest in the world."

"Tenderoni", the first single, drops June 14. And even though we haven't heard anything from The Boxer yet, solo Kele already has a website, a blog, a Twitter, a MySpace, and a Facebook page. He's socially connected! Starting this May, he'll play shows around Europe. Below, we've got the tracklist for The Boxer and Kele's tourdates.

The Boxer:

01 Walk Tall
02 On the Lam
03 Tenderoni
04 The Other Side
05 Everything You Wanted
06 New Rules
07 Unholy Thoughts
08 Rise
09 All the Things I Could Never Say
10 Yesterday's Gone

Kele:

05-14 Limerick, Ireland - Dolans
05-15 Cork, Ireland - Cyprus Avenue
05-16 Dublin, Ireland - The Academy
05-17 Belfast, Northern Ireland - Spring and Airbrake
05-20 Cologne, Germany - E-Werk (Electronic Beats)
05-21 Hamburg, Germany - Prinzenbarhalle
05-22 Berlin, Germany - Weekend Club
06-12 Manchester, England - Warehouse Project Fest
07-16 Ferropolis, Germany - Melt Festival
08-27 Paris, France - Rock En Seine
08-28 Leeds, England - Leeds Festival
08-29 Reading, England - Reading Festival
08-31 Ibiza, Spain - Ibiza Rocks

 

[GirlsAloudFan]

Alright!

That's definitely something to look forward to. Should be interesting, at the very least.

 

[cobl04]

i wouldn't be able to tell you the name of any of the other band members. hopefully this turns out to be some good shit. his voice is for me the reason Bloc rises/rose above the ten million other dance/indie/electro/pop acts out there.

i'm tipping it'll be as personal as Intimacy.

 

[powerhour24]

I'm excited for him, and awaiting the release, but I'm not sure how much enjoyment I'll get out of a dance/club-inspired album, let's hope the lyrics will still shine through.

Also, the recent comments from other bandmates make it seem that the hiatus will be short-lived, and that they are eager to get back in the studio later this year to work on stuff they wrote on tour in 2009.

 

[FitzChivalry]

i wouldn't be able to tell you the name of any of the other band members. hopefully this turns out to be some good shit. his voice is for me the reason Bloc rises/rose above the ten million other dance/indie/electro/pop acts out there.

I'm not trying to be an ass here, and I think you all know how much I absolutely LOVE this band (though Matt is far and away my favorite), BUT . . .

. . . I've seen Bloc many times live and, let me tell you -- Kele's voice isn't really that good. Truth be told, Kele's voice is the least impressive thing about Bloc Party. There's definitely studio trickery involved to get it to sound the way it does on the albums. It's not absolute shit. But it's not as good as it is on the albums either.

Also, the recent comments from other bandmates make it seem that the hiatus will be short-lived, and that they are eager to get back in the studio later this year to work on stuff they wrote on tour in 2009.

I read the same thing too from Russell. Power, did you hear those same comments also from Gordy or Matt?

 

[cobl04]

I'm not trying to be an ass here, and I think you all know how much I absolutely LOVE this band (though Matt is far and away my favorite), BUT . . .

. . . I've seen Bloc many times live and, let me tell you -- Kele's voice isn't really that good. Truth be told, Kele's voice is the least impressive thing about Bloc Party. There's definitely studio trickery involved to get it to sound the way it does on the albums. It's not absolute shit. But it's not as good as it is on the albums either.

fair enough then! i've never seen them live.

 

[powerhour24]

I read the same thing too from Russell. Power, did you hear those same comments also from Gordy or Matt?

No I'm referring to the same quote from Russell, but I take it especially well since he's one of the members working on side-material.

And about Kele's voice, no he doesn't have an amazing technical voice, but he has a unique sound (even live) that adds to what makes their sound stand out to me.

 

[u2popmofo]

Granted, i haven't seen them live since their debut US tour, but I don't remember his voice being any different than it is on the albums live. Has it really gone that far downhill?

 

[powerhour24]

I don't think so .

Also, I'm looking for some good 2009 tour bootlegs, can anyone point me in the right direction?

 

[phanan]

Saw that on Pitchfork yesterday. "Electronic pop" works for me.

 

[FitzChivalry]

And about Kele's voice, no he doesn't have an amazing technical voice, but he has a unique sound (even live) that adds to what makes their sound stand out to me.

True. I will agree with this.

Granted, i haven't seen them live since their debut US tour, but I don't remember his voice being any different than it is on the albums live. Has it really gone that far downhill?

It's not that his voice doesn't "sound" like it does on the albums. It's more that his voice cracks during shows a bit often and he goes off key, enough so it's noticeable, and his voice doesn't quite have the power or strength that it does on the albums. Add them all up, and it's always left me with the impression that his voice live is diminished and not as impressive as it is recorded.

But then, on the other hand, he's got one hell of a frontman, stage presence that compensates for what his vocal abilities can't deliver.

I'm excited for him, and awaiting the release, but I'm not sure how much enjoyment I'll get out of a dance/club-inspired album, let's hope the lyrics will still shine through.

If it's anything like 'Mercury', 'Ion Square' or 'Your Visits Are Getting Shorter', then color me super excited to hear this album.

 

[cobl04]

hey if it turns out to be half as good as some of the stuff on Intimacy, i'll be pretty stoked.