Fraternising with the NME There's a big news feature in this week's NME on the new album, including a first listen to four of the new tracks:
'A Prayer To The Lord': An industrial rhythm and choral sounds open this huge-sounding song, which proceeds through massed backing vocals and some highly-complicated drumming to resolve itself in a very beautiful, synth-sodden conclusion.
'Hunting For Witches': This intense song begins with the sound of someone twirling through a radio dial before Okereke announces: "I'm sitting on the roof of my home with a shotgun". The angry lyric continues: "The Daily Mail says that the enemy's among us/Stealing our women and taking our jobs".
'On': Sexy, cold and druggy, this is several steps on from 'This Modern Love', the 'Silent Alarm' song it most resembles. Okereke sings about "a certain cleanliness and clarity" before adding "you make my tongue loose" over lavish strings and feedback.
'It Started In An Afternoon': Featuring electronically treated vocals which make Okereke sound female, this song sounds as confident and epically uplifting as U2 and boasts a sparklingly catchy guitar line.
Also, in a V Festival preview article, Kele describes 'Uniform' as "huge", saying that he recorded around 100 vocals tracks for it, and that everyone else sings on it too. (Even Russell?!)
The new material is "dark, bigger and quite abrasive" with "a lot of interplay and a lot of detail"...the album is going to reward repeated listenings. The lyrical content is more personal to Kele this time around...'Where Is Home?' deals with the idea of being a second-generation black person in this country and other inspiration comes from the London bombings and the fatal stabbing of Kele's 18-year-old cousin, Christopher Alaneme, in a racist attack.
Speaking about the ambitious nature of Bloc Party's new sound, Kele says: "It's not enough for me just being a four-piece rock band. You're only limited by your imagination in this industry and when you realise that, that's when classic things can happen."
The article ends with the mention of a UK tour later this year to give people a chance to hear the new songs.
can´t wait for the next album! today i'm going to see them in a festival here in portugal (paredes de coura), and i'm looking forward for their 1st gig here! i'm also looking forward to listen to the new material!
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