I loves me some Bloc Party...

I still remember those rare summer days when the adults would block off both ends of the street, fill coolers with beer and soda and bbq the day away. We kids would run crazy through the street, unconcerned with cars; challenging the adults to games of two hand touch football, organizing games of Red Apple and Kick the Can. Block parties were good clean fun. I guess now you've got to be worried about somebody drinking too much and shooting at someone for grabbing their wife's ass. London's Bloc Party lies somewhere in between the extremes of my bucolic recollections and the intensity of the way we are forced to live our lives now. They are angular and upbeat, clearly a member of the dance punk revolution that's being chaired by Franz Ferdinand, The Rapture, !!!, and even the Faint. But these guys are different. I would dare say that Bloc Party is the next step in the evolution of this "genre". I mean the Bloc Party has the nerve to be fun, angry, danceable and intelligent. They quote Bertrand Russell on their website and make no attempt to disguise their literate approach to songwriting. Don't think for a second that a smart band can't be a fun band. These guys do it better than Franz. They currently have no releases available in the U.S. and only an EP available through their website (click it and buy it's worth it even with the dollar in the toilet). The label that releases their US stuff is Dim Mak (check out the video) and it appears will have a 12' available in late January. These MP3's are available on their website. This is good stuff. Be hip and get on the bus before the tastemakers start claiming the knew about these guys before you did.

Tulips

The Answer

Banquet (Disco Mix)