Despite growth and evolution in Bloc Party's lyrical depth, production skills and even in sonic scope, "Weekend" leaves the listener wondering where all the fun went.
Lead singer Kele Okereke cited the band's mission statement in an interview with England's The Observer, saying that they attempted to craft "an interesting pop song that actually tried to give you a different perspective."
In many ways, they are successful. Songs like "Uniform," "I Still Remember," "Kreuzberg" and "SXRT" deal with the conformity of youth, the search for love and a young boy's suicide without sounding overly preachy or rehearsed. Okereke finds a good balance between beauty and desperation, painting a dark picture that's still nice to look at.
At other points, however, the lulls and drags of "Weekend" are too much, pulling the album down from its heights. "The Prayer" features a drumbeat that doesn't mesh with Okereke's vocals and sounds like a weak remix rather than a hit single.
During later tracks "On" and "Where Is Home," Bloc Party again struggles to find a cohesive idea, with background instrumentation slowing down the explosive vocals that ran free on "Silent Alarm" hits like "Helicopter" and "Banquet".
Six months after releasing "Silent Alarm," Bloc Party collaborated with established artists including M83, Mogwai and Four Tet to create "Silent Alarm Remixed," a track-by-track rehash of their initial success. In essence, "Weekend" is another remix album, this time by Bloc Party themselves. The album uses melodies and structures seen in "Silent Alarm" at many points, simply placing them in a different context. "Hunting For Witches," for example, mimics "Like Eating Glass," while "Sunday" and "Uniform" both have sections that closely parallel "Blue Light."
Additionally, the songs within "Weekend" contain nearly identical structures, with all but two of the tracks starting off slowly before using the crisp beats of talented drummer Matt Tong to crank it up a notch. Although this technique works well for individual songs, over the course of the album's 51 minutes it gets tiring.
There is no doubt that the UK sensations have grown in the past two years. "Weekend" is more sonically expansive and expressive than "Silent Alarm," and Okereke's message is clearer and deeper than on his first try. The bright-eyed bop has been traded in for a meaning and a message, and the release shows no signs of a young band testing the waters of success.
Not coincidentally, Bloc Party's most recent release is the product of collaboration with producer Garret "Jacknife" Lee, who had a hand most notably in U2's "How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" and Snow Patrol's "Final Straw." Perhaps because of Lee, critics have been quick to compare Bloc Party to a young U2. Indeed, "Kreuzberg," "On" and the disc's first single "I Still Believe" all show traces of tending toward the mainstream, with the latter song easy to imagine entertaining stadiums full of middle-aged rockers and their kids. Although maybe not the image Bloc Party is gunning for, it is a testament to their talent that they elicit such comparisons.
Probably due to electronica-ish intros and outros on a few tracks (best heard in "Hunting for Witches") Radiohead comparisons have been tossed around as well. With U2 and Radiohead comprising two of the most astronomically successful and talented bands of the past two decades (Three decades? Wow, U2 is old.), these comparisons are probably the result of overzealous music writers looking for the next big thing. Bloc Party is good, but they still have a ways to go before legend status is within reach.
Without a doubt, moments of "Weekend" are brilliant. A brief moment of harmony amid the train wreck that is "Where Is Home?", a slick guitar solo on "The Prayer" and a great drumbeat on "Waiting for the 7.18", among others, represent the best moments that Bloc Party have put on tape. In the end, however, heavy lyrics manifest themselves in heavy songs, and the album drags too much for its own good.
"I am trying to be heroic," sings Okereke on "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)."
It's a good try but it falls a bit short.
