Bloc party - yes or no?

[SpookyFrank]

I listened to that 'weekend in the city' album and then immediately deleted it. The singer has a nice voice but there are no tunes to be found anywhere

 

[dlx1]

1st Album 2nd mm ok

 

[colacubes]

1 good song (Banquet). The rest is a bit meh

 

[Blagsta]

I love the bloc party, they are just getting a slating cos they went massive and all the muso snobs have their knives sharpened.

Shit, we've been rumbled!

 

[Blagsta]

yeah but I bet you love boring everyone by banging on about how they are basically just a a rip off of Gang of Four.

That was the NME that said that iirc. I thought "great, let's check 'em out!" But they were shit and sound nowt like Gang of Four. Gutted I was. Gutted I tell you.

 

[Blagsta]

They sound nothing like Gang of Four??!! WTF are you on about! Even their lyrical content is similar to a degree. Gang of Four were dancy post punk and Bloc Party are in a similar vein only twnety years later.

Come again?

 

[El Jefe]

That was the NME that said that iirc. I thought "great, let's check 'em out!" But they were shit and sound nowt like Gang of Four. Gutted I was. Gutted I tell you.

Nah, revol is claiming they definitely sound like Gang of Four. So erm..


snigger

 

[Blagsta]

Nah, revol is claiming they definitely sound like Gang of Four. So erm..


snigger

revol writes for the NME? No wonder everyone hates him.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

They're fucking shite.

 

[dodgepot]

I love the bloc party, they are just getting a slating cos they went massive

or maybe cos people just don't like them.

 

[nino_savatte]

Not impressed.

 

[Nixon]

No no no no no no no no no no no no

 

[kained&able]

Not neraly as carp as i always assumed they were. They jsut tend to release wank singles.

dave

 

[ouchmonkey]

They sound nothing like Gang of Four??!! WTF are you on about! Even their lyrical content is similar to a degree. Gang of Four were dancy post punk and Bloc Party are in a similar vein only twnety years later.

You clearly have The Gang Of Four confused with someone else.

their music is angular, sharp, bright and arresting, the lyrics are engaged,
intelligent and delivered with conviction, bit shouty at times.

Bloc Party are a kind of sonic sludge that aims for a shimmer (usually acheived on remixes, the four Tet and Burial ones spring to mind, that do something about their rubbish rhythm section) the lyrics may be about all sorts but they just come out as an atonal whine.
I'm not entirely against atonal whining, no, no.
but it does not sound like Gang Of Four.

 

[nino_savatte]

yeah but I bet you love boring everyone by banging on about how they are basically just a a rip off of Gang of Four.

Nonsense and besides, BP had never heard of the Gang of Four until some music journo told them that they "sounded like the Gang of Four".

The GoF are far superior.

 

[tufty79]

i've a weird reaction to 'em - when i first hear them i go 'ooh! bloc party ', followed a millisecond later by 'oh. bloc party '
(well, without the smilies)

i do the same with marmite too.

*goes to look for some gang of four*

 

[chico enrico]

They sound nothing like Gang of Four QUOTE]

exactly. for some unfathomable reason (possibly because it was a very hip 'reference' to drop at tha time) that comparison comes from their frirs press biog where the person who wrote it (who knows fuck all about music) said they sound like Gang of 4 cos all the other bands who said that (needless to say none of whom ever sounded anything remotely like Gang of 4 - well maybe on their 3rd album when they were shite) were getting some press.

All i can really say about Bloc party is they've got a half decent name and their drummer is a total dick.

 

[chico enrico]

They sound nothing like Gang of Four??!! WTF are you on about! Even their lyrical content is similar to a degree. Gang of Four were dancy post punk and Bloc Party are in a similar vein only twnety years later.

you may want to re-evaluate that statement after checking out this site and taking advantage of its' free offer:

http://www.amplifon.co.uk/

 

[revol68]

oh chirst seriously listen Silent Alarm or the EP before it and tell me it doesn't have a resembelance to Gang of Four, yeah, no stuttery vocals, angular guitars or dancey drum beats, certainly sounds closer to Gang of Four in overall aesthetic than stuff like Franz Ferdinand that was being talked about in the same breath.

And if Bloc Party seriously claim to have never heard or been influenced by Gang of Four I'm calling them fucking liars.

 

[Blagsta]

 

[rekil]

It's a clear cut case of 'Look dad no tunes'.

 

[El Jefe]

oh chirst seriously listen Silent Alarm or the EP before it and tell me it doesn't have a resembelance to Gang of Four,

I have listened to both, and they sound nothing like Gang of Four. and you're also wrong about them being lumped in with Franz Ferdinand etc. You're a fool

 

[Mallard]

Probably not cool to admit it but I like 'em and enjoyed the last critically panned album with all the confessional stuff on etc

 

[El Jefe]

What does coolness matter? If you liked it, you liked it. if you didn't, you didn't.

Should be that simple..

 

[Mallard]

What does coolness matter? If you liked it, you liked it. if you didn't, you didn't.

Should be that simple..

Yep I suppose so

 

[Augie March]

It's a clear cut case of 'Look dad no tunes'.

Really? I'd thought it was more of a case of 'Look dad, we have some fucking great tunes. But we can't fill the rest of the album with anything quite as good.'

 

[starfish2000]

I like em, but I think they will have to become a bit more developed in order to sustain a career. The drumming is really jerky and samey and I'm not sure that will stand up in 10 years time.

 

[revol68]

I have listened to both, and they sound nothing like Gang of Four. and you're also wrong about them being lumped in with Franz Ferdinand etc. You're a fool

So Gang of Four weren't mentioned quite often in relation to franz ferdinand, no?

Look the fact is it's angular dancey post punk, it's always going to get compared to gang of four, if you can't see the resemblence or influence you must be fucking stupid.

 

[gabi]

Great band on record, utterly shite live though

 

[revol68]

Great band on record, utterly shite live though

I dunno I saw them play the Mandela Hall just before they put out Silent Alarm and they were pretty tight.