The Jerkstore...: Favorite Albums...Part 2

Current mood:

working
Category: Music

Rather than staying in the same mode and writing about another album from years ago, I'm going to go with my favorite "newer album of the past year or two." For those of you that are in contact with me on a regular basis, this selection should come as no surprise to you. The next album from my library of albums is Bloc Party's "Silent Alarm."

This disc is part of the final era of decent music recommended by my former favorite magazine. I was very skeptical at first as they were being labled as a Franz Ferdinand protege band as they were supporting that band on their European tour in 2004. Not that I don't like Franz Ferdinand, because I like their quirky tone, I just don't like copycat bands so much. However, once the album broke in the States I decided to give it a whirl like any good student of music should do.

The buzz was not without it's merit. More often than not, bands that are catching a lot of critical and mild commercial success often fall prey to any number of pitfalls, not in any order of importance, but usually they don't live up to the hype. This particular album spiked way above my expectations. I downloaded "Banquet" and "So Here We Are" (the latter made somewhat famous by the eMusic.com adverts late last and early this year). With that I rushed to the local music store (still give love to Ernie November's overpriced CD's and Vinyl) and picked up "Silent Alarm" along with Sleater-Kinney's "The Woods" and The Boss' "Devils and Dust" on LP.

So, on to the material itself. The first song starts out almost sloppily and all parts musically seem to be on a different page as the whirling guitar affect used to open the track hangs above the almost jolting bass note repeating over and over. It would get nerve racking to someone with no patience. About thirty seconds into the song's intro, Matt Tong's thumping drum beat ties everything together and holds it on course, as it does much of the album. Not long Kele Okereke's vocals shoot into the "almost melody" and begin to take shape in the "I'm English and hard to understand" type of way that I loved about 80's New Wave bands. After the opening lines, Gordon Moake's bass settles into a steady groove and coupled with Okereke's rhythm guitar along with Russell Lissack's additional guitar work, the train that was once coming off the tracks beings to barrel down the line into one of the best chorues I've heard in quite some time.

The music is furious and almost desperate sounding and grabs ahold of anyone that has a pulse. It doesn't make you move, it doesn't politely ask you to get out of your chair, it tells you to move. It orders you around. The opening track moves almost seamlessly into "Helicopter" which continues the up tempo beat and driving guitar work. "Positive Tension" brings the Party back to a more stable pace as to not "blow their wad." These guys have obviously watched "High Fidelity" a time or two. The song is almost deceiving except that you remember the first two songs and are almost waiting for the pace to quicken and kick you in the teeth, which it does about halfway into the track to an almost anarchic pace.

Alarm's crowning achievement resides in the forth slot on the CD, therefore cementing that most awesome songs on every album will generally appear on the forth track, which of course is "Banquet" and I'm sure you've heard this song before. But try this trick sometime sometime, you'll see that I'm right. Bloc Part seems to be able to master the "slow to quick" transition that most bands don't have a clue how to do in their entire musical career, let alone their first full length LP. The chorus is also unbelievably good and the hook is as catchy as apple pie. These guys seem to have a knack for taking the Verse/Chorus/Verse transitions to a new level.

The next two songs are more or less filler tracks that would otherwise, be unable to stand on their own two legs. However, as far as filler songs go, "Blue Light" is a good break from the Verse/Chorus/Verse formula used in the opening of the album. A good sign of a great record is the ability to switch gears multiple times and have it go almost unnoticed. "She's Hearing Voices" brings the pace back up a tad with an awesome opening drum beat and a surefire way to start the concert crowd clapping before Kele gets into the vocals of the song. It's the song that the band uses to "pump the crowd up" if there seems to be a lull at a live show (hard to imagine). Audience participation is a must, however I digress from my essay.

The next song is the VERY 80's sounding "This Modern Love." If the song would have been written and produced in 1985 it no doubt would have ended up in the part of a John Hughes film where the protagonist sees the girl he is pining over make the wrong decision and decides to kiss the starting quarterback at prom. More than likely said protagonist would be played by none other than Michael Anthony Hall (like you were thinking of someone else!). You can feel that nostalgic desire tugging at your heart strings right now, can't you? I know when I hear it I have my own personal story to attatch to it.

After the bright spot that is "This Modern Love" the desperation and longing of "Pioneers" and "Price of Gas" take the feeling back to the mood of the opening track of the album. If these guys sucked, these would have been the second and third tracks on the album, but luckily for the good of all humanity, these guys do not suck. "Pioneers" makes you feel (after deciphering the lyrics about five times) like you could have overcome those events in life that you kick yourself in the butt for not accomplishing. The song "Price of Gas" starts out with not only a marching drum beat, but marching itself! Genius! Brilliant! Sorry, anyway... Singing about the price of gas these days is about as poingant as Robert Plant telling the 4,689th groupie he slept with on the song "Black Dog" that he was "Gonna make you burn/gonna make you sting." Ouch Bob, thanks for the description.

Usually the ability to do something new and frest on an album that stretches itself over the 9 or 10 song mark will eventually lose it's ability to surprise the listener. However "Little Thoughts" takes that notion and kicks it squarely in the common misconceptions. Another upbeat and hopefully desperate song. I swear this album is perfect for every melodramatic guy who never got the girl that he really wanted in high school. Where was this album in 1997? The steady rhythm and melody of the song is what keeps this song going from start to finish and is surprisingly tight for a band that thrived on playing with the idea of becoming derailed and any second on any track. Not that it makes the song any less exciting, it's just a good change, which if you have been reading along I get a tremendous amount of enjoyment from.

"So Here We Are" is a gentle and melodic near masterpiece. It ranks up there with my favorite dreamy and airy songs of all time, and I happen to be an expert in this category. It makes you feel on top of the world and almost melancholy at the same time. The mix of emotions that I feel on this track are something that is rare in music for me, but is also a very moving blend that I enjoy only so often.

Just when you think the album is going to fall off again, Luno breaks out right away with another furious beat and melody that hits you hard upside the head with it's crazy lyrics and unbelievably fast beat. Did I mention that Tong's drumming was fast?? Also, the perfect metronome timing is also something to marvel at.

Now with all the love I've been giving this CD, you'd think I was going to have some criticism right? Well, you are stark wrong. I like that the album ends on two almost foreign and haunting tracks. The second to last song "Plans" yanks you out of the fast paced bonanza you experienced on the last track. It's slow moving beat begin to pull you off the rollercoaster ride you have just experienced for the past 35+ minutes. It's a great setup for the very downtroden "Compliments" that caps off the album. It's almost a mechanical sounding song that is in stark contrast to the rest of the record, and leaves you almost in a chill, which is probably what you did not expect about halfway through the album.

"Silent Alarm" makes no apologies for it's almost sloppy composure, because it makes up for something that has been lost in popular music for some time now, and that's unexpected excitment. I'm going to use the cliched line that I hate, but it fits so well. This album to me last year was like a breath of fresh air. It gave me hope right when I thought music was going completely shitty, even the underground music I listen to that you've never heard of. (My obligitory snob comment). I like that these guys are not famous, but I also hate it. It's the conundrum that every indie music fan has dealt with since the day they purchased a CD that wasn't on a major label, or stepped foot inside a locally owned insense smelling record store, or got their first taste of local music. You think they are good enough to take over the world, however you want to keep them for your own and not share them with the 35 year old lady who lives down the hall or street that is shopping at The Buckle and trying desperately to remain "hip." I make no bones about getting older, I'll always listen to "cool" music because it's in my blood. And this album may be the best one that I experience in the next ten year period.

Cheers!