Bloc Party just couldn’t help themselves. After a debut record that was nothing less than invigorating, their ventures into nu-rave, electro, and doing some really weird things to Kele Okereke’s voice exposed a band eager to move forward, but unsure of what direction to take. Coming off a four year absence, it seems these guys have allowed themselves to take a deep breath, a step back, and grow up a bit. “Octopus,” the lead single from the upcoming Four, reveals a mellower sound, ditching serrated guitar chords and sound pedal trial-and-error for something less confrontational. A rubberized, loose-fitting chord progression is affixed by Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes’ characteristically airtight rhythm work, while Okereke sports his jauntiest falsetto. They keep things brief, using a verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure and an AC/DC-inspired solo to get their point across.
There’s nothing exceedingly gripping here, nor is there anything that doesn’t sound like a seasoned group of pros operating like a well-oiled machine. The irony is that at this point last year, even Bloc Party didn’t know if Bloc Party were together anymore. The fact that they can just pick up where they left off and show no signs of rust is quite promising. All it took was an indefinite hiatus and a few mediocre side projects, and wouldn’t you know it? Bloc Party sound like a rock band again.
Four is due out August 20th on Frenchkiss.
