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Amazon.co.uk Review
Bloc Party fans have awaited the arrival of Intimacy, the band's third studio LP, with a mix of excitement and trepidation. Where their debut Silent Alarm (produced by Paul Epworth) was universally touted as a modern classic, 2007's follow up A Weekend in the City, produced by Jacknife Lee, was equally flamboyant yet patchier. Intimacy is helmed by both Lee and Epworth and the brittle contours, mish-mash of influences and semi-awkward lyrics are quintessential Bloc Party. Mixing up everything from micro-house and dub-step to indie rock and electro pop, there's a willful energy here reminiscent of the band's debut, though the spikier elements remind more of AWITC. Opening cut "Ares" sets out the band's stall with a bombastic brew of high-energy drums, preening guitars and urgent sirens, while upbeat lead single "Mercury," employs a quirky astrological motif. These prove to be the most charged tracks on the record as elsewhere the band indulge in choral-chanting and strings ("Zephyrus"), angsty art-rock ("Halo") and a surprisingly uplifting finale in the shape of "Ion Square". Intimacy, as we should have guessed, is predictably unpredictable: knowingly difficult, defiantly angular yet eminently likeable. --Danny McKenna
Review
It wasn't easy to get excited about Intimacy. Since 2007's A Weekend In The City, we were treated to Flux, a half-baked slice of electro-pop, and then came Intimacy's first single, Mercury, a jarring musical seizure of a record that is as clever as it's ridiculous. Bloc Party looked like they had finally surrendered to self-indulgence beyond rescue.
Thankfully, Intimacy sees the band at least try and temper such flights of fancy. Jacknife Lee, who produced the mixed bag of AWITC, and Paul Epworth, who master-minded the evergreen Silent Alarm, work in tandem this time round and the resulting fusion creates a nearly fabulous third album.
Ares is a firecracker of a start, a war anthem that is pure chaos, littered with clever lyrical asides and proof, if you needed it, that Bloc Party are the best in the business when it comes to bringing a track to a close. Then comes Mercury, leaving you punch-drunk and wondering if you'll ever hear a guitar again. You do, and it's worth the wait as both Halo and Trojan Horse, revive the glory days of Helicopter and Banquet.
As you'd expect, anxiety, desire, need and frustration flow through the fittingly titled album and are well represented by stilted, broken beats, crashing finales and precisely meddled and layered vocals. Such dynamics are most apparent on the trio of tracks towards the end of the record, One Month Off, Zephyrus and Better Than Heaven. While Zephyrus, which calls upon the services of the Exmoor singers of London, will be the track to name-drop, the heart of the album is One Month Off. Catchy, clever and surely the world premiere of a Bloc Party key change, what more could you ask for?
Like The Streets, Hot Chip and, dare we say, Coldplay, Bloc Party are a UK talent that continue to push the envelope stretching you simultaneously to points of ecstasy, the Hot Chip-esque Signs, and to points of agony, the please-make-it-stop Ion Square. Lyrically it treads a similar tightrope, faring a lot better than the crimes of AWITC, but not without its schoolboy blunders. ''At your funeral, I was so upset, so upset, so upset'', bleats Okereke on Signs. Skilfully put.
With huge attention to detail, Intimacy is a beautiful enigma, and, given its early delivery, a cracking surprise. --Tom Young
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I'm generally only moved to commit to a review on the basis of being moved or repelled, and this album has done the former to such an extent that it has completely redefined my opinion of Bloc Party in much the same way as it seems to have disappointed ardent fans of Silent Alarm.
When an album comes along that divides opinion so profoundly the one thing you can't accuse it's creators of is resting on their laurels and playing it safe, and obviously the comparisons with Radiohead aren't far behind for any band daring to experiment or change direction, being as they are, arguably, the benchmark by which musical innovation often seems to be judged. From the moment Ares kicks things off to the closing Ulrich Schnauss inspired strains of Ion Sqaure bleeding out of the speakers this album grips without letting go. Tracks like Halo, Trojan Horse, One Month Off & Talons are like a jackhammer to the solar plexis, punchy, tightly executed guitar driven slabs of utter adrenalyn fueled power. Scattered among the high octane riffing of the former are beautifully conceived moments of melancholy such as Biko and Signs, a brace of songs which give this album an extra dimension, the dreamlike glockenspiel and plantive electronic bassline of the latter providing an anchor to Okereke's mournful falsetto vocals.
The deliciously compressed, skittering drum tracks which have found their way onto tracks like Biko & Zephyrus are probably the flashpoints which polarise opinion as they exhibit an overt inclination towards electronic production, but personally speaking it is that fusion on this album which makes it such an exciting experience, being a longstanding fan of IDM, when I hear production elements that wouldn't sound out of place on a boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv or Boats record in a place I'd never expect to hear them it's a thing to savour as it outlines that the most disparate musical genres can work harmoniously together given the right vision, and fear or snobbery toward one or the other limits the musician as much as it does the listener.
What this album does is quite simply entertain which is after all why we listen to music, is it Bloc Party's kid A moment? No I wouldn't say it is because while it's a change of direction it's not particularly innovative but consequently it's hugely accessible whilst by no means being dull or derivative. It seems to me that what Bloc Party have done is make exactly the music they wanted to make, setting aside all other considerations and the result is thrilling, packed with integrity, and destined, I feel, to go down as their finest moment.
When an album comes along that divides opinion so profoundly the one thing you can't accuse it's creators of is resting on their laurels and playing it safe, and obviously the comparisons with Radiohead aren't far behind for any band daring to experiment or change direction, being as they are, arguably, the benchmark by which musical innovation often seems to be judged. From the moment Ares kicks things off to the closing Ulrich Schnauss inspired strains of Ion Sqaure bleeding out of the speakers this album grips without letting go. Tracks like Halo, Trojan Horse, One Month Off & Talons are like a jackhammer to the solar plexis, punchy, tightly executed guitar driven slabs of utter adrenalyn fueled power. Scattered among the high octane riffing of the former are beautifully conceived moments of melancholy such as Biko and Signs, a brace of songs which give this album an extra dimension, the dreamlike glockenspiel and plantive electronic bassline of the latter providing an anchor to Okereke's mournful falsetto vocals.
The deliciously compressed, skittering drum tracks which have found their way onto tracks like Biko & Zephyrus are probably the flashpoints which polarise opinion as they exhibit an overt inclination towards electronic production, but personally speaking it is that fusion on this album which makes it such an exciting experience, being a longstanding fan of IDM, when I hear production elements that wouldn't sound out of place on a boards of Canada, Telefon Tel Aviv or Boats record in a place I'd never expect to hear them it's a thing to savour as it outlines that the most disparate musical genres can work harmoniously together given the right vision, and fear or snobbery toward one or the other limits the musician as much as it does the listener.
What this album does is quite simply entertain which is after all why we listen to music, is it Bloc Party's kid A moment? No I wouldn't say it is because while it's a change of direction it's not particularly innovative but consequently it's hugely accessible whilst by no means being dull or derivative. It seems to me that what Bloc Party have done is make exactly the music they wanted to make, setting aside all other considerations and the result is thrilling, packed with integrity, and destined, I feel, to go down as their finest moment.
78 of 87 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
I find many original Bloc Party fans mind-boggling. Bloc Party turns out some of the best, most innovative music of any band these days.
In an era that celebrates terrible artists like Katy Perry and Jon Mayer, we should feel lucky to have a Bloc Party to offer us quality.
The truth is, this album is absolutely excellent. From Silent-Alarm-like songs like "Talons", "Halo" and "Trojan Horse" (three songs produced by original producer Paul Epworth), to excellent and very original songs like "Better Than Heaven", "Ion Square" and "Signs" (a wonderful track featuring a glockenspiel and a mellotron), the album delivers over and over again.
Many people are one-dimensional. They want Bloc Party to look to the past and make "Silent Alarm" over and over and over again. We already have a Silent Alarm, move on. I love Silent Alarm passionately, but let's evolve with the band.
To be fair, I don't care much for the opening track "Ares", a high-powered song obviously made for fans to get crazy at live shows, but the rest of the album is fantastic.
Bloc Party continues to excite... they continue to innovate. You should flat-out ignore these so-called fans who want Bloc Party to have a career consisting of fifteen Silent Alarm albums, and open up your mind and you'll be rewarded. I've been mentioning these songs and have already been excited, and I haven't even mentioned the album's finest track "Biko" yet.
I miss Matt's drums too, but they'll return. I mean, Bloc Party always evolve, they always innovate, and if they continue to make electronic music over and over again, that's stagnation, which Kele openly opposes.
Funny, recently, a few people have marked my review as 'not helpful'. Funny that those very people wrote comments about how it doesn't sound exactly like "Silent Alarm". I rest my case.
In an era that celebrates terrible artists like Katy Perry and Jon Mayer, we should feel lucky to have a Bloc Party to offer us quality.
The truth is, this album is absolutely excellent. From Silent-Alarm-like songs like "Talons", "Halo" and "Trojan Horse" (three songs produced by original producer Paul Epworth), to excellent and very original songs like "Better Than Heaven", "Ion Square" and "Signs" (a wonderful track featuring a glockenspiel and a mellotron), the album delivers over and over again.
Many people are one-dimensional. They want Bloc Party to look to the past and make "Silent Alarm" over and over and over again. We already have a Silent Alarm, move on. I love Silent Alarm passionately, but let's evolve with the band.
To be fair, I don't care much for the opening track "Ares", a high-powered song obviously made for fans to get crazy at live shows, but the rest of the album is fantastic.
Bloc Party continues to excite... they continue to innovate. You should flat-out ignore these so-called fans who want Bloc Party to have a career consisting of fifteen Silent Alarm albums, and open up your mind and you'll be rewarded. I've been mentioning these songs and have already been excited, and I haven't even mentioned the album's finest track "Biko" yet.
I miss Matt's drums too, but they'll return. I mean, Bloc Party always evolve, they always innovate, and if they continue to make electronic music over and over again, that's stagnation, which Kele openly opposes.
Funny, recently, a few people have marked my review as 'not helpful'. Funny that those very people wrote comments about how it doesn't sound exactly like "Silent Alarm". I rest my case.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
Best album to date. Not an easy conclusion to come to, but this doesnt have the one or two weaker tracks that silent alarm had e.g. compliments (WITC is very good, but a bit low-key to compete i think).
At first I thought that 'Ares' was pretty poor, but its really grown on me. It sounds a bit Chemical Brothers and is really high energy.
I really respect the fact they have moved on from what was a very popular and lucrative style and expanded into different styles without losing the plot.
There are songs that will appeal to silent alarm lovers Talons, Halo, Trojan Horse and Zepherus, but even these have a much more electronic sound.
Im trying to pick a standout track, and Halo would be the easy answer on first listen, but the more i listen the more difficult it becomes.
This is an album for the car, the gymn, the bedroom and the party; buy it!
At first I thought that 'Ares' was pretty poor, but its really grown on me. It sounds a bit Chemical Brothers and is really high energy.
I really respect the fact they have moved on from what was a very popular and lucrative style and expanded into different styles without losing the plot.
There are songs that will appeal to silent alarm lovers Talons, Halo, Trojan Horse and Zepherus, but even these have a much more electronic sound.
Im trying to pick a standout track, and Halo would be the easy answer on first listen, but the more i listen the more difficult it becomes.
This is an album for the car, the gymn, the bedroom and the party; buy it!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
Very very underrated
I've reviewed a handful of albums on Amazon because most of the time albums have had enough support without me adding to it. I find that Intimacy could do with the help. Read more
Published on 19 Jan 2010 by Colm Mccann
No disc in case...Very poor
What can you say. Bought this for as an xmas prezzy for my son..Did not check if disc was in case,so my own fault, but no disc ic case. Not a good prezzy at all....
Published on 1 Jan 2010 by A. Sumnall
Mixed bag, and a missed opportunity
In my opinion this album could have been great, but sadly, due to a couple of duff songs, a lack of tempo balance, and a bad running order, it doesn't work as an album... Read more
Published on 2 Sep 2009 by Mr. S. Bennett
A superb return to form
I rate Bloc Party's debut Silent Alarm as one of the greatest albums ever. Its sound and production bring to mind early 80's post-punk while still sounding very original. Read more
Published on 30 May 2009 by ARL
OMG!!! bloody great album
I'm a huge fan of Bloc party, and coulded wait for Intimacy.
From the first listen of this amazing album I was blown away, Id heard it was going to be like there first outing... Read more
From the first listen of this amazing album I was blown away, Id heard it was going to be like there first outing... Read more
Published on 21 April 2009 by K. A. Roberts
Better than i thought
Having heard a lot of mediocre reviews of the album i was quite reluctant to buy it considering i have all their other albums, then as it appeared quite cheap on amazon i thought... Read more
Published on 18 Mar 2009 by Mr. R. Maguire
Brilliant buy
Excellent album from Bloc Pary and easy to down load the mp3 from the amazon website.
Published on 17 Mar 2009 by C. Milton
A Change...For The Better
This album certainly marks a huge change in musical direction for Kele and co., and that is evident from the outset. Read more
Published on 14 Mar 2009 by James Mcwilliam Woods
bloc party - intimacy
i've heard the people aren't as into bloc party's new music as it's more electro than normal but i like the new direction. Read more
Published on 10 Mar 2009 by Mr. Scott Taylor
Great Album. Different, That's All
Bloc Party have never sounded so fiery. The big beat drum 'n' bass 'Mercury', a jarring carnivalesque track, frightened off those 'traditional' fans but it's an experimental dream... Read more
Published on 21 Feb 2009 by Odelay In Space
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