Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Bloc Party - Live from Abbey Road

Bloc Party recently performed at the famous Abbey Road studios as part of a programme which aired last Saturday on Channel 4 (UK). Watch the interview plus live versions of 'Mercury', 'Signs' and 'The Prayer' below...

Kele's in retrograde

I see signs now all the time

The Gord's Prayer

Labels: Interviews, Intimacy, Television, Videos

¶ 10:52 PM 6 comments links to this post

Monday, March 23, 2009

Remixes galore

As previously announced, Bloc Party will be giving 'Intimacy' the full remix treatment on May 11th. In some "controlled leaking" it appears that you can currently download the lead single, Armand Van Helden's version of 'Signs', on Stereogum...

[Download] Bloc Party - Signs (Armand Van Helden Remix)

And if you really can't wait a couple months, click here to listen to No Age's rather excellent version of 'Better Than Heaven' and here to stream the 'One Month Off', 'Talons', 'Mercury' and 'Ares' remixes!

Staying on the remix theme...here's a couple tracks recently added to the BlocParty.net archives...

[Download] Ares (Pin Me Down Remix)
[Download] It's Bigger Than A Prayer (Bloc Party vs. dead prez)

Labels: Audio, Intimacy, Intimacy Remixed, Remixes

¶ 7:12 PM 2 comments links to this post

Monday, March 16, 2009

Intimacy Remixed!

Bloc Party announced today that on May 11th they''ll be releasing ‘Intimacy Remixed’ on limited edition CD /triple 12”...the younger brother of 'Silent Alarm Remixed' which came out in August 2005.

The album will include remixes by Gold Panda, Mogwai and Filthy Dukes and will lead off with a remix of ‘Signs’ by Armand Van Helden, released on April 27th (so that's what the teaser videos were about!).

Here's the full tracklisting:

1. Ares (Villains remix)
2. Mercury (Herve is in Disarray remix)
3. Halo (We Have Band Dub)
4. Biko (Mogwai remix)
5. Trojan Horse (John B remix)
6. Signs (Armand Van Helden remix)
7. One Month Off (Filthy Dukes remix)
8. Zephyrus (Phase One remix)
9. Talons (Phones RIP remix)
10. Better Than Heaven (No Age remix)
11. Ion Square (Banjo or Freakout remix)
12. Letter To My Son (Gold Panda remix)
13. Your Visits are Getting Shorter (Double D remix)

Those expecting a gently pulsating reworking of 'Signs', look away now...Van Halden has turned the track into a dirty, if slightly pedestrian, monster. The video for the remix comes on like one of Chris Cunningham's worst nightmares, featuring a disturbing child, mirrorball heads, various electrical implants and a very lippy pièce de résistance. Don't expect to see it on primetime TV anytime soon.

Labels: Intimacy, Intimacy Remixed, Remixes, Singles, Videos

¶ 8:23 PM 15 comments links to this post

Monday, November 17, 2008

Bloc Party on 'Le Live De La Semaine'

A very kind someone has put Bloc Party's recent performance on French show 'Le Live De La Semaine' up on YouTube...here's a couple highlights, and you can watch the remaining 5 tracks here!

Signs:

Ares:

Labels: Intimacy, Television, Videos

¶ 11:23 PM 5 comments links to this post

Thursday, November 06, 2008

'Letter To My Son' Live and Intimate

Watch below a video of Bloc Party performing the Smiths-esque 'Intimacy' bonus track, 'Letter To My Son', in The Pool Studios. It's part of the 'Live and Intimate' film which you can access with the new CD album and watch online here (or via some crafty YouTube searching here!)

Labels: Intimacy, Videos

¶ 12:25 AM 3 comments links to this post

Friday, October 31, 2008

Singled out

From BBC News:

Bloc Party are indifferent to the singles chart and say scoring a hit is no longer important to them. The band physically released their third album 'Intimacy' on Monday following its rush release in download format on 21 August. The band say they didn't think of the release as "a business decision", and weren't worried about chart positions. In fact, bassist Gordon Moakes revealed they may stop putting out physical singles in the future.

'Intimacy' was not eligible for the Top 40 charts last month, due to its download-only release. While this month might see it enter the top 10, Moakes told 6 Music that it's not really a priority: "I don't think our digital release was eligible so this is our only shot at the charts - but the kind of band we are, isn't one you were going to see on Top Of The Pops really. We've never entirely played the game. Maybe we'll find out that it's a great success, but maybe we'll find out that people just aren't buying CDs anymore."

Last October, Radiohead put out their latest album, 'In Rainbows', with a "pay what you like" price plan. However, it still went to number one after its physical release in January. Asked whether Bloc Party were hoping for a similar impact, Moakes said: "I don't know. We're waiting to find out really. I think none of us were sufficiently concerned about it as a business decision to not do it - to say, 'if you put it down as a download, x amount of people might not buy it'."

"Our record company's been behind our ideas for this record and future singles," Moakes continued. "We're talking now about not doing anymore physical formats for singles meaning we won't have any more eligible singles after 'Talons'. I think the days are gone where you can really make a splash in the charts, being a band like us, and have that sort of thing make a difference to your reputation and your sales. Music was never a competition, whoever made it a competition? One decision might be to not get involved in that and put out non-eligible things on purpose."

However, their view on the physical release of albums has not changed: "We have a young fan base so I don't know how doing it the way we did will affect us, but it's still an event to put out a record. We're still vinyl fans. With the last record we put out a picture disc. All this extra stuff that's dying out, we're still into as a band."

Labels: Intimacy, Singles

¶ 3:09 PM 7 comments links to this post

Thursday, October 30, 2008

'Intimacy'...physical release out now!

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 6:18 PM 0 comments links to this post

Thursday, October 23, 2008

More news than you can shake a stick at...

With the physical release of 'Intimacy' just 4 days away, the Bloc news is gathering pace like a snowball rolling down a very steep tree-less hill. Here's the latest press blurb...

If you pre-ordered the album, you'll be receiving the physical CD on Monday (if you haven't, you can still get it here). The tracklisting is:

01. Ares

02. Mercury

03. Halo

04. Biko

05. Trojan Horse

06. Signs

07. One Month Off

08. Zephyrus

09. Talons

10. Better Than Heaven

11. Ion Square

12. Letter To My Son

13. Your Visits Are Getting Shorter

The North American version will have the same songs, plus 'Flux'. You can get that one here.

This UK / European deluxe version will also come with access to 'Live and Intimate' - a special up-close and personal live performance including tracks from the new album, and 'Banquet'. The film was shot in The Pool Studios. Highlights from the film will be screened on Channel 4 on October 31st at 12:10am.

You can also see a preview of 'Halo' on the Bloc Party takeover of the Guardian Music which also features Cooking with the Tongs, some words from Gordon, Kele's advice column and an exclusive remix of 'Ares' by Russell. You will be able to watch 'One Month Off' on NME.com from Monday. NME also have an interview with Kele and Matt live now.

And in the spirit of giving, the album will also be available as an iTunes Exclusive bundle which will include the full album, and the iTunes Live EP (from the band's recent in store at the London Apple Store). You can get that from Sunday at this link.

For those of you wondering which formats will be available for the album, in addition to the above you will be able to buy it on vinyl and picture disc.

Finally, the band will be playing a set at the Oxford Circus branch of HMV on Monday (October 27th) at 6pm. Wristbands will be available from 9am ON THE DAY - these wristbands are first come first served, so please get down early!

Phew

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 5:42 PM 6 comments links to this post

Sunday, September 21, 2008

Tracklistings galore

Play.com have posted up the 'Intimacy' CD tracklisting, including two bonus tracks added to the end of the album (released October 27th). The tracklisting hasn't been officially announced yet though, so things could still change...

01. Ares
02. Mercury
03. Halo
04. Biko
05. Trojan Horse
06. Signs
07. One Month Off
08. Zephyrus
09. Talons
10. Better Than Heaven
11. Ion Square
12. Letter To My Son (Bonus Track)
13. Your Visits Are Getting Shorter (Bonus Track)

And here's the likely tracklisting of the forthcoming 'Talons' single, released on October 20th:

CD:
01. Talons
02. Talons (Phones Remix)
03. Talons (XXXChange Remix)
04. Talons (Moody Boyz Remix)

7" vinyl one:

01. Talons

02. Talons (Phones RIP Remix)

7" vinyl two:

01. Talons (Acoustic Version)

02. Talons (Gordy Remix)

Labels: Intimacy, Singles, Talons

¶ 9:08 PM 10 comments links to this post

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

'Intimacy' artwork revealed!

It seems the artwork revealed on Play.com (and this site) last week wasn't the official 'Intimacy' album cover after all, but it was pretty close! Here's the official cover - no tongues this time around, and a much more arty, soft-focus photo.

Other 'Intimacy' news: according to the official website, the new single 'Talons' will slot in as track number 9 on the physical release, between 'Zephyrus' and 'Better Than Heaven'.

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 7:26 PM 11 comments links to this post

Monday, September 08, 2008

Bloc Party to release *brand new* track tomorrow!

All credit to the people behind Bloc Party's current release plan...they certainly know how to keep things fresh. Tomorrow night between 7pm and 9pm GMT, Zane Lowe will premiere a brand new Bloc Party single on his BBC Radio 1 show...one of the final songs recorded during the 'Intimacy' sessions and as yet unheard! The track will be on the CD release of the album in October and will also be available as an immediate free download for anyone who's already bought or pre-ordered the album.

So tune into Zane Lowe tomorrow night, or listen online here.

In other news, Bloc Party will be playing the Glasgow Barfly on October 19th as part of the MTV2 Gonzo Tour 2008. Details here.

Labels: Intimacy, Singles, Tour

¶ 10:32 PM 7 comments links to this post

Friday, September 05, 2008

Intimacy cover art revealed (WTF?!)

According to Play.com, this is the image which will be gracing the cover of Bloc Party's third album, 'Intimacy'. It looks like a zoomed-in still from a soft-porn movie and is probably not what most people expected! Go here for some slightly more subtle fan-created interpretations.

Of course, this could all be an elaborate joke by Play.com, in which case Bloc Party will be the ones laughing at us gullible fans!

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 6:55 PM 13 comments links to this post

Thursday, August 28, 2008

'Intimacy' reviews

You've had your say on the new album (and can continue to do so here), but now reviews have started to pop up from the lucky people who are paid to write about music.

To be updated when new reviews appear:

Labels: Intimacy, Press

¶ 8:00 PM 4 comments links to this post

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

'Intimacy' covered

Nearly a week after Bloc Party unleashed 'Intimacy' on the unsuspecting public, there's been no word of an official album cover. So, to tide you over, here's the highlights of the fan-created album artwork. Thanks to everyone who sent in their ideas!

Artwork by Julien Bremard, Pierre-Louis, Alex Hiro, Alex Fox, Alex Stilman, Adrian Riemann and Sarah Jahn

Labels: Fan_art, Intimacy

¶ 8:34 PM 13 comments links to this post

Friday, August 22, 2008

'Intimacy' lyrics

The full (provisional) lyrics for 'Intimacy' are now up on BlocParty.net - a joint effort by fans on Always New Depths. To view them, go here and click on the song titles. There's still quite a few gaps and possible mistakes, so please write to the usual address if you spot anything!

Labels: Intimacy, Lyrics

¶ 1:56 PM 0 comments links to this post

Thursday, August 21, 2008

Design your own 'Intimacy' artwork!

Word on the street is that this cover isn't going to be the final 'Intimacy' artwork, so BLOG PARTY is opening it up for you to design your own covers for the download album to make do until the official artwork is released.

Send in your ideas here! The cover should have BLOC PARTY and INTIMACY written somewhere (the official font is Gill Sans MT), and should be a square with approximately 500 x 500 pixel dimensions. The best artwork ideas will be featured on this site!

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 3:06 PM 0 comments links to this post

'Intimacy'...out now!

First impressions always count...so write them below! Here's BLOG PARTY's initial take on the new album...

01. Ares

Bloc Party at their most 'wildly experimental'. This is easily Bloc Party's most ambitious song to date, setting the bar high for the rest of the album. It begins like a Sigur Rós song, before an epic guitar scrawl and heavy drums signal the band's intent. Kele spits out his lyrics with venom over a frantic breakbeat, rapping them Dizzee Rascal-stylee. The first chorus itself consists of a series of screamed vocals, backed by the riff and drums. 'I Still Remember' this is not. Judging by the warm, synth breakdown towards the end of the track, the band have been listening to Burial during recording.

Key lyric: We dance to the sound of sirens

02. Mercury

The musical version of Marmite...evokes love and hate in equal measure. A cacophony of brass stabs, looped vocals and rumbling synths...it's too repetitive for some, but you can't deny the final crescendo, complete with samba drumming. Releasing this as the lead-off single was perhaps a good idea to attract attention, but it strays a bit too close to musical migraine territory for comfort.

Key lyric: My Mercury's in retrograde

03. Halo

The first taste of conventional guitars on the album - this plays like a classic fist-pumping Bloc Party song, all driving drums and interplaying guitars...could be a potential single. The last minute or so showcases Russell and Kele's trademark riffery, before Kele rounds things off with the downright sexy chorus.

Key lyric: Paralyse me with your kiss / Wipe those dirty hands on me / Maybe we're looking for the same thing / Maybe you're the one who'll complete me

04. Biko

For the Bloc b-side aficionados, this is similar to the recent b-side, 'Emma Kate's Accident'. Built upon a sparse guitar riff and Kele's yearning falsetto, the track slowly builds into a downbeat electro-ballad. A synthy song, this is likely to be one of the Jacknife Lee produced tracks and appears to have been written for a friend suffering from cancer.

Key lyric: You're not doing this alone

05. Trojan Horse

This track's been available on the band's MySpace for a couple days and was probably chosen as an album preview because it showcases both sides of the album - the trademark tremolo guitars, along with the electronic studio touch. A huge oriental-sounding riff comes in around the 2:20 mark, before a classic Bloc breakdown and a return to the riff bring the song to an abrupt close.

Key lyric: You used to take your watch off before we made love / You didn't want to share our time with anyone

06. Signs

Again, unlike any other Bloc song to date. The delicate music-box/glockenspiel intro is followed by billowing synths and a faint orchestral whitewash. Judging from the moving lyrics, this was written for a friend who recently passed away. Just past the three-minute mark, a full orchestra swoons in - a real hairs-on-the-back-of-the-neck moment. The most beautiful track on the album.

Key lyric: I see signs now all the time that you're not dead, you're sleeping / I believe in anything that brings you back home to me

07. One Month Off

Could be either an Epworth or Jacknife Lee track...shades of 'Helicopter' in the staccato guitar riff, but there is also some 'Mercury'-esque vocal sampling, carried out with a bit more panache in this track. 'One Month Off' boasts one of the catchiest choruses on the album - also a potential single candidate. Features an interesting time signature adjustment and Bloc Party's first key change, musos!

Key lyric: I can be as cruel as you, fighting fire with firewood

08. Zephyrus

This is the 'album centrepiece'. Beginning with a grime-y vocal loop, sparse drums and Kele's vocals, the track morphs after the first chorus into a full-on choral beast. Anyone who was lucky enough to experience last October's Electric Proms concert will know how Bloc Party sound with a full choral backing, and the chances are the band was inspired by that show. A haunting, unsettling track - but one in which the experimentation has pulled off.

Key lyric: And all you said in your quietest voice was "I needed you as much as they do"

09. Better Than Heaven

In which Bloc Party continue to get dirty and electro on our asses. A bouncy drumbeat propels the track along a bed of electro-blips and echoing guitars...until it explodes at 2:50 into a tumbling spiral of bass, guitars, synths and drums. Even the kitchen sink's in the mix somewhere.

Key lyric: What's with all this / Doom and gloom? / You used to be such / Such a laugh

10. Ion Square

On first listen, perhaps the weakest track on the album. The production, as on the whole album, is fantastic, but fails to mask a below-par song - the main problem being annoyingly repetitive vocals and a lack of direction. The song just...is. Nevertheless, it's sure to be a grower like 'Mercury', and the track builds up to an impressive outro.

Key lyric: The space between us has disappeared / You finish my / You finish my words for me

Final verdict: Those fearing a Greek mythology concept album after reading the song titles will be relieved. This isn't a drastic new direction for Bloc Party, and it feels like a natural progression after the first two albums. 'Mercury' is probably the most experimental track on the album (along with 'Ares'), and is also the track where the experimenting feels the most forced. On many of the tracks, the band have recaptured the early energy shown on 'Silent Alarm', thankfully managing to overcome the lethargic atmosphere that infiltrated a lot of 'A Weekend In The City' by re-introducing the buzz-saw guitars, urgent vocals and Matt Tong patented drums.

But this is far from being 'Silent Alarm' mark II. It shows a band evolving, swallowing the sounds and ideas from the first two albums, and spitting them out into a new cohesive whole. As far as the instrumentation goes, this is perhaps Bloc Party's best album to date - there's so much going on in each of the songs that they are bound to reward repeated listening. Where 'Intimacy' is slightly let-down is in Kele's vocals. Not in the lyrics - the intimate, relationship-based subject matter much better suits his direct style than the grandiose city-theme of 'A Weekend In The City' - but in the melodies. A lot of Kele's vocal hooks are beginning to sound very similar, to the extent that you can pretty much guess the next melodic hook in the majority of the songs.

But that's not to take too much away from what is a definite return to form...Bloc Party are back to what they do best...genre-bending emotional boy rock, this time with an added smattering of electro-pop, choral chanting, dirty synths and...erm...glockenspiel. Welcome back Bloc Party!

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 9:26 AM 51 comments links to this post

Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Bloc Party session on 6 Music

On the eve of the third album release, Bloc Party this evening performed 'Mercury' and 'Flux' on Steve Lamacq's 6 Music show. Kele and Matt were also interviewed about 'Intimacy', which, according to this article, is Kele's break-up album (relationship-wise, not with the band). The production of the album was spread 50-50 between Paul Epworth (songs already pre-written) and Jacknife Lee (tracks which were written in the studio during the recording process).

Those on the ball will be able to download the new album in all its digital glory at 9am tomorrow morning, so get writing your sick notes now. It feels like Christmas Eve, aged 12, all over again!

To listen again to Bloc Party's 6 Music appearance, click here and fast-forward. The interview can be found at 1:43 and the session at 2:23.

Edit: Zane Lowe previewed another new song from the album tonight as his 'Hottest Record In The World'. To listen to 'One Month Off', click here and fast-forward 30 minutes (after Sigur Rós)!

Edit #2: Watch the BBC 6 Music session below...

Labels: Interviews, Intimacy, Radio_sessions

¶ 10:07 PM 3 comments links to this post

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Good things come to those who don't wait...

Thought you had to wait a whole two days to hear new Bloc Party tuneage? Wrong...you'll be able to hear a brand new track from the third album, 'Intimacy', on NME.com sometime this afternoon. Check that site later today for more Bloc excitement!

Edit: Listen to 'Trojan Horse' on Bloc Party's MySpace now!

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 1:32 PM 15 comments links to this post

Bloc Party get intimate...

During the course of tonight's webchat, Bloc Party announced details of their third album, titled 'Intimacy'. And, would you believe it, they've kinda done a Radiohead. If you preorder the album now (here), you will receive the digital version on Thursday 21st August (two days time!), and the CD will arrive on October 27th with new tracks tagged on.

Here's the 'Intimacy' tracklisting...

01. Ares

02. Mercury

03. Halo

04. Biko

05. Trojan Horse

06. Signs

07. One Month Off

08. Zephyrus

09. Better Than Heaven

10. Ion Square

Looks like Kele's been reading up on his Greek mythology. So, mucho surprise, huh? Who's taking Thursday off?

Labels: Intimacy

¶ 2:20 AM 16 comments links to this post