Underachievers, please try harder.
Bloc Party - A Weekend In The City
[2.5/5] Bloc Party almost sounded too ambitious on their 2005 debut,
Silent Alarm, as if they couldn't decide whether to be the synthpop version of Sonic Youth, Morrissey's lackeys or Pixies-inspired noise-poppers. This indecision resulted in an album that was always interesting, but often felt overcrowded with ideas. The band sound more focused on
A Weekend In The City but now face the opposite problem: They play things way too safe on their sophomore effort, which makes for a rather boring listening experience.
City starts out promising, with the spiky electro-Nintendo workouts "Hunting For Witches" and "The Prayer," and the Placebo-meets-Doves tune "Waiting For The 7.18." But the second half of the album falls apart, as the few memorable moments-like the subtle chorus melody on the U2-epic "Kreuzberg"-are lost amidst bloated, sluggish ballads that never really go anywhere or do anything interesting or original. Blame the sophomore slump, the pressure of internet backlash, or something else-but it's a shame that Bloc Party's tentative
City leaves so little of an impression.
(VICE/ATLANTIC) Annie Zaleski
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