Product Description

The sophomore full length album from Kele Okereke and co isthe follow-up to their hugely popular 2005 debut 'Silent Alarm.' Produced by Jacknife (Kasabian, Snow Patrol), 'A Weekend In The City' brings Bloc Party another step closer to world domination with a stunning collection of songs showcasingtheir unique style of multilayered intensity. This is a more lyrically focused, emotionally exposed album which brings with it a more rounded overall sound whilst retaining the raw power of their debut. Includes the single 'The Prayer.'

Track Listing

1. Song For Clay (Disappear Here)
2. Hunting For Witches
3. Waiting For The 7.18
4. Prayer
5. Uniform
6. On
7. Where Is Home
8. Kreuzberg
9. I Still Remember
10. Sunday
11. SRXT

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #2622 in Music
• Released on: 2007-02-05
• Number of discs: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
Critical adulation and commercial success hasn't changed Bloc Party. On A Weekend In The City, they're still rolling with the punches, frustrated by small minds, social inequality, and a world that reduces the life's wonderful possibilities to a grey routine. "East London is a vampire," sings Kele Okereke on the opening "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)", "it sucks the life right out of me." This, unmistakably, is Kele's album. Whereas the group's debut, 2005's Silent Alarm, felt powered primarily by the sturdy rhythm section of Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong, here the whooshing groove recedes slightly, allowing for more lyrical reflections: see "Waiting For The 7.18", which finds Okereke pondering the quiet hell of the daily commute, or "Where Is Home?" – a thoughtful, bruised song about racism given a special bite by stint of Kele's background as a second-generation Nigerian immigrant. Also notable is a move towards more synthetic, electronic textures, thanks in part to the presence of producer Jacknife Lee. If before, Bloc Party sometimes sounded like they were trying to be machine-like, now they actually do, drums arranged in dense loops, guitars gasping robotic feedback. All in all, it's a less gripping album than Silent Alarm - but it's definitely a growth, and in the long run, it may prove easier to love. --Louis Pattison

Customer Reviews

Unfortunately A Weekend In the City isn't Silent Alarm
I think i explained it with the title, Silent Alarm was such a great hit that they tried too hard to reproduce the same result. There were many songs that hit the hard political and social problem in Silent Alarm that it left Kele with very little to sing about. This has left Kele singing a few very boring songs about rubbish and all the songs having the same rythmn. 4 out of 5 is being generous (I gave this score on the basis that i like what Bloc Party is all about)

A Weekend in the city
After being a major fan of bloc party for a considerable amount of years, I awaited the new album with much anticipation, and was not disappointed.

the two guitars working together to create a whirlwind of speed went perfectly with the lyrics, and the bass just added the extra .. oomph :)

obviously, like the last album the drums were the most amazing part.

whilst, in my opinion awitc wasn't quite as good as silent alarm, i still thought it was a great album, and is well worth buying- although the major downside is that it's not silent alarm, the upside is that it's still a great album.

Better than the rest
First I have to say that I am no fan of the current crop of indie dirge that afflicts my ears on a daily basis. Quite frankly, most of the tosh out there is the musical equivalent to flat-lining. Having grown up in the grunge years and being a massive Nirvana fan, I am used to passion and anger in my music, not musicians merely going through the motions. Consequently, I was a little apprehensive when I picked up my first Block Party album.

Silent Alarm completely confounded my expectations. This didn't sound like average indie banality, this sounded different. When Weekend.... came out I didn't hesitate to add it to my collection. I am so glad I did. I actually think it is superior to Silent Alarm in many respects. Although there are some trite lyrics, you can feel a great deal more passion coming from this album than from most of their contemporaries. Why oh why do Kaiser Chiefs et al get so much press when Block Party wipe the floor with them? Who knows, it is one of life's great mysteries.

As for the songs, I love Song for Clay, Hunting for Witches, Uniform and Where is Home? Every single one is far superior to other indie bands. Forget your Kaisers, have a Block Party instead!