Bloc Party - Bloc Party [EP]

After the success of Franz Ferdinand, the floodgates were opened for a slew of similarly angular-yet-poppy British bands having their way with new wave, post-punk, and indie idioms. Along with The Futureheads, Dogs Die In Hot Cars, and Art Brut, Bloc Party were among the first to make a splash in the States with their self-titled EP, a collection of their She's Hearing Voices and Banquet/Staying Fat singles. The EP collects the singles in reverse chronological order, which both helps and hurts the band: "Banquet" itself is a great single that has one foot in the post-punk/dance-punk revival and the other in short, sharp Britpop; singer Kele Okereke's London yelp sounds uncannily like Damon Albarn's when he shouts "so overrated!" The song is the best thing the band has done in its young career and a terrific opening track for the EP, but it also means that the rest of Bloc Party goes downhill from there, albeit relatively slightly. Read More