LMP
Blue Crack Supplier
I listened to this in my car today... absolutely sick stuff.
This could be my favorite album of the year so far.
This could be my favorite album of the year so far.
New Bloc Party album this Thursday?!
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No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
You were listening to this in The Funk?
LMP
Blue Crack Supplier
How else could I, honestly?
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
I like this album a hell of a lot more than Weekend in the City.
Signs! Ares! Mercury! Halo (the best song ever written about a video game)!
Signs! Ares! Mercury! Halo (the best song ever written about a video game)!
FitzChivalry
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
I think they consciously made this album faster and harder than "A Weekend In The City". I absolutely love AWITC, but the second half is a much slower, softer album. Aside from 'Biko' and 'Signs', "Intimacy" is pretty much full-throttle the whole way through.
Signs, Ares, Trojan Horse and Ion Square
And now that I've heard the whole album, 'Mercury' fits in perfectly; it's not weird at all to me anymore.
Signs, Ares, Trojan Horse and Ion Square
And now that I've heard the whole album, 'Mercury' fits in perfectly; it's not weird at all to me anymore.
No spoken words
Blue Crack Supplier
That's pretty much the only way.
Gave it the headphones treatment today, and, still digging it a lot.
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
I agree its a little less out of left field following Ares...but it will always be weird hahaha.
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
This album is growing on me more and more. It's an especially good night time album. I'm listening to Biko now 
Simple, but very well done. I like it a lot more now than I did at first.
though I gotta say, I also listened to Silent Alarm today, and man. still blows me away every time. easily my second favourite album of all time.
Simple, but very well done. I like it a lot more now than I did at first.though I gotta say, I also listened to Silent Alarm today, and man. still blows me away every time. easily my second favourite album of all time.
xaviMF22
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
album of the fucking year.
ares
signs
and yes Silent Alarm is still amazing even after all these years.
ares
signs
and yes Silent Alarm is still amazing even after all these years.
powerhour24
ONE love, blood, life
All these years...sometimes I forget how long ago 2005 was.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
Alright, I was finally able to listen to this today. I went through it twice this morning. Great album. My favorites are Halo, Biko, Signs, and Ion Square, but for the most part the album is very strong throughout.
I approve.
I approve.
FitzChivalry
Rock n' Roll Doggie VIP PASS
"Ares" needs to be about five minutes longer, it's that gooooooood!
It's all getting (IT'S ALL GETTING!)
quite highly charged (QUITE HIGHLY CHARGED!)
Get out of the way (GET OUT OF THE WAY!)
or get fucked up (OR GET FUCKED UP!)
It's all getting (IT'S ALL GETTING!)
quite highly charged (QUITE HIGHLY CHARGED!)
Get out of the way (GET OUT OF THE WAY!)
or get fucked up (OR GET FUCKED UP!)
GibsonGirl
ONE love, blood, life
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I'm going to have to wait for the physical CD release...I can't use my credit card at the moment. 
I'm assuming "Biko" is a reference to Stephen Biko?
I'm assuming "Biko" is a reference to Stephen Biko?
AtomicBono
ONE love, blood, life
"Ares" needs to be about five minutes longer, it's that gooooooood!
It's all getting (IT'S ALL GETTING!)
quite highly charged (QUITE HIGHLY CHARGED!)
Get out of the way (GET OUT OF THE WAY!)
or get fucked up (OR GET FUCKED UP!)
I love that part
we bounce to the sound of sirens!
Ares is definitely one of the best tracks on there. and Halo, omg, HALO
my initial "hmm, not bad" reaction to this album has been replaced with "FUCK YEAH!"
xaviMF22
Rock n' Roll Doggie ALL ACCESS
I'm going to have to wait for the physical CD release...I can't use my credit card at the moment.
I'm assuming "Biko" is a reference to Stephen Biko?
I thought that as well, but no nothing to do with Stephen Biko.
intedomine
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
Haven't heard it yet
Anyone reckon Intimacy better than A Weekend In The City? I listened to AWITC yesterday for the first time in a few months and it absolutely blew my mind....Kreuzberg - I Still Remember - Sunday......unbelievable
Anyone reckon Intimacy better than A Weekend In The City? I listened to AWITC yesterday for the first time in a few months and it absolutely blew my mind....Kreuzberg - I Still Remember - Sunday
......unbelievable
GibsonGirl
ONE love, blood, life
- Joined
- Jun 8, 2002
- Messages
- 13,270
Nor Peter Gabriel.
That would have been my second guess.
Anyway, I acquired the album this afternoon, thanks to some very kind and generous Interferencers... Before the anti-downloading brigade jumps down my throat, yes, I still intend on buying it.
Here are some brief thoughts after about three listens:Ares (4.5/5)
Wow. Talk about an album-opener! It's absolutely mad. Panning vocals, mechanical guitars, frantic drums...it's like Silent Alarm on steroids. The atmospheric breather towards the end is very nice as well. My favourite song on the album at this point.
Mercury (4.5/5)
I heard this a while ago and was slightly worried, but it all makes musical sense in context. The synth and drums give it a bit of an industrial feel. It's rather crazy, just like Ares.
Halo (3.5/5)
This one feels like standard Bloc Party, and I can't help feeling a little disappointed. Maybe it'll grow on me.
Biko (3.5/5)
I was expecting to hear some anti-apartheid inspired lyrics in this one. The chorus, "Biko, toughen up," immediately dispels that whole idea.
This song sounds like it should take off at some point, but it never does. Another grower, perhaps.Trojan Horse (4/5)
Ah, we're back to that mad, frantic sound again. I love it! 2:19-2:43 is the kind of stuff I was expecting to hear from U2 back when Bono was prattling on about "punk rock from Venus."
Signs (4.5/5)
It's Sigur Rós, Bloc Party-style. This is something completely new for the band, and it sounds amazing. Kele's delivery is wonderful.
One Month Off (3/5)
I don't know why, but it screams second or third single. I really the sound in this one. A heavily-processed guitar mixed with synth, I think. Other than that, though...it doesn't really appeal to me as much as the others.
Zephyrus (3/5)
Maybe my least-favourite on the album. I was only half-listening to it a little while ago and thought I was listening to 15 Step for a second (the drums.)
The background vocals that start in the middle of the song are a bit strange. Like...staccato Gregorian chanting or something. It might grow on me.Better Than Heaven (4/5)
Very dark, and very good. I love the vocal delivery on this one. The music really fucking takes off at the end!
Ion Square (4.5/5)
The song is almost perfect. That's all I really need to say about it. I don't know if it can match SRXT in the Bloc Party album closer department, but it definitely comes close.
All in all, Intimacy is a great assortment of stand-out tracks and potential growers. Raw, gritty, electronic rock. It has a very consistent feel throughout, and already seems a lot more cohesive than A Weekend In The City. I love AWITC, so this one may end up surpassing it quickly.
Bravo, Bloc Party!
BoMac
Self-righteous bullshitter
I'm glad you enjoy the album, Steph. 
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
I've given it around 3 full listens and it's gotten better each time.
Also, I really love the song titles on this thing. Very cool song titles.
Also, I really love the song titles on this thing. Very cool song titles.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
This album kicks ass.
And it sounds like our friend Kele has had his heart broken. Lots of lyrics about loneliness and a love lost.
And it sounds like our friend Kele has had his heart broken. Lots of lyrics about loneliness and a love lost.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
The Pitchforkers have got their hands on the album -
"We hoped Bloc Party's last record, A Weekend in the City, would be the group's version of U2's October-- an endearingly awkward transition between a bracing debut and a masterpiece every bit as outsized as the ambitions of its creators. Sadly, album number three is less War than Evil Urges."
Intimacy | Pitchfork
Can Pitchfork review any European guitar-based band without comparing them in some outlandish way to U2?
"We hoped Bloc Party's last record, A Weekend in the City, would be the group's version of U2's October-- an endearingly awkward transition between a bracing debut and a masterpiece every bit as outsized as the ambitions of its creators. Sadly, album number three is less War than Evil Urges."
Intimacy | Pitchfork
Can Pitchfork review any European guitar-based band without comparing them in some outlandish way to U2?
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
Pitchfork sucks.
I just like saying that a lot.
I just like saying that a lot.
intedomine
Rock n' Roll Doggie FOB
So according to Pitchfork: C-Play's VLVODAHF > B-Party's Intimacy
I'm just hanging out for P-Fork's review of The Verve's Forth, an album that doesn't appear to be getting the praise I would have anticipated it to recieve.
I'm just hanging out for P-Fork's review of The Verve's Forth, an album that doesn't appear to be getting the praise I would have anticipated it to recieve.
GirlsAloudFan
Blue Crack Addict
You know that white snow that Chris Martin was talking about in the song Violet Hill?
Well, with this new album, Bloc Party has turned that snow yellow.
elevated_u2_fan
Blue Crack Supplier
C-Play, B-Party, R-head...
I've been listening to this all morning and it's a grower, the second half appeals to me more so far...
Is anyone really surprised that this isn't going to get very good reviews from the music press? A Weekend in the City had some pretty miserable reviews and scores itself, and it was far less of a mess than this is as an actual "album". Bloc Party: A Weekend In The City (2007): Reviews
It should be no surprise as to why the first album was celebrated by critics and the music press, and why the second was a disappointment to those same people. In turn, it shouldn't be a shocker that those same people are going to find Intimacy even more off-putting and weak in comparison to both of those. I think even a few of us actual fans here (myself included) have mentioned that we think it's probably the weakest of the 3, so I'd assume you can expect to most critics scores reflecting the same thing.
In Pitchfork's defense though, they gave the first two albums quite strong scores, and lets not forget that Bloc Party's initial hype in the US among the hipster crowd was in a lot of ways fueled and led by Pitchfork themselves, so it's not as if there's some ridiculous conspiracy against British bands or Bloc Party themselves there. The one person that was chosen to write the review apparently liked it less than a lot of us did, I probably would have given it a high 6 or a 7.0 myself if I was feeling generous.
It should be no surprise as to why the first album was celebrated by critics and the music press, and why the second was a disappointment to those same people. In turn, it shouldn't be a shocker that those same people are going to find Intimacy even more off-putting and weak in comparison to both of those. I think even a few of us actual fans here (myself included) have mentioned that we think it's probably the weakest of the 3, so I'd assume you can expect to most critics scores reflecting the same thing.
In Pitchfork's defense though, they gave the first two albums quite strong scores, and lets not forget that Bloc Party's initial hype in the US among the hipster crowd was in a lot of ways fueled and led by Pitchfork themselves, so it's not as if there's some ridiculous conspiracy against British bands or Bloc Party themselves there. The one person that was chosen to write the review apparently liked it less than a lot of us did, I probably would have given it a high 6 or a 7.0 myself if I was feeling generous.
phanan
Blue Crack Addict
I personally think it's better than A Weekend In The City.
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