Bloc Party — A Weekend In The City

Being a ubiquitous success story has its drawbacks. Finding ways to maintain your ideals while moving forward can't be easy, and Bloc Party had to try harder than most. The main problem is that between the time Silent Alarm and A Weekend In The City were released, the dance-punk genre they helped popularize died. In response, the band hired big name producer Jacknife Lee and basically reinvented their sound. Thankfully, the paranoia and urgency that truly made the quartet dynamic still underline the bass-heavy tracks on their sophomore LP. It's not as immediately engaging as Silent Alarm, and there are some clear misses, where their debut had none. But the highs, such as the rumbling "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)" and the soaring, Dears-esque "Sunday," are just as high as anything on the debut. Some of the lyricism is overwrought, and a couple of the songs just aren't very compelling. But for a band who were expected by some to take a complete nosedive on album number two, this is a remarkably self-assured comeback — a declaration that Bloc Party are true contenders.