BLOC PARTY 

Four

[Frenchkiss]

Following 2008’s Intimacy, Bloc Party faced an uncertain future. After hinting at a breakup and surviving a hiatus, the London post-punk outfit returns with its simply titled fourth album. Alongside producer Alex Newport (the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In), the group refocuses on guitars, ditching the dance influences of their previous two albums. Amid ferocious rock riffs, Bloc Party has found room to explore the kinds of mellow, less distorted songs typically associated with bands “growing up.” But Bloc Party’s beauty lies in its brashness. Frontman Kele Okereke can yelp as capably as he can croon, and allusions to the 2011 riots in the band’s hometown translate better with the amps turned up. There are some toned-down tracks toward the middle and occasional lapses into generic punk rhythms, but at their strongest, the guitars ring with the foreboding of a death knell. Overall, Bloc Party hasn’t lost the angst and energy that has always propelled it forward. –Amanda Farah

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