Intimacy - Album
Intimacy (Album) by Bloc Party
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Artist Biography For Bloc Party
Bloc Party Is An Indie Rock Band Which Formed In 1999 In London England. The Band Currently Consists Of Kele Okereke Vocals Guitar Russell Lissack Guitar Justin Harris Bass Vocals And Louise Bartle Drums Vocals . The Band Has Released Six Albums "Silent Alarm" 2005 "A Weekend In The City" 2007 "Intimacy" 2008 "Four" 2012 "Hymns" 2016 And "Alpha Games" 2022 . Bloc Party Have Been Together Since 1999 With Names Such As Superheroes Of BMX The Angel Range Diet And Union Before Settling On Bloc Party In September 2003. Band Members Kele Okereke And Russell Lissack Have Formed The Fulcrum Of These Various Incarnations And Were Subsequently Joined By Bassist Gordon Moakes Who Answered An Advert In The NME And Most Recently Drummer Matt Tong. Lissack And Singer/guitarist Kele Okereke First Met In 1998 In Essex Where Lissack Had Grown Up And Okereke Attended School. Lissack Attended Bancroft's School And Okereke Attended Ilford County High School Until 16 Then Trinity School For Sixth Form. They Bumped Into Each Other Again In 1999 At The Reading Festival And Soon After Formed The Band Union. In 2003 They Changed Their Name From Union To Bloc Party. The Name Is A Play On Block Party A Name For An Informal Neighbourhood Festival Which Might Hire A Local Band As Entertainment. The Band Have Said That The Name Was Not Intended To Be An Allusion To The Soviet Bloc Or The Canadian Political Party Bloc Québécois The Absence Of A 'k' Is Purely For Aesthetics. However The Band's Bassist Gordon Moakes Said On The Group's Official Internet Forum That It Was More A Merging Of The Eastern "blocs" And The Western "parties" In The Political Sense. Moakes Notes That The Name Was Not Driven By Politics But Rather It "looked Sounded Seemed Fine So We Went With It." In November 2003 Bloc Party Had Their Track "The Marshalls Are Dead" Featured On A Compilation CD Called The New Cross Released By Angular Recording Corporation. Soon After They Released Their Debut Sngle "She's Hearing Voices" On The Then Fledgling Record Label Trash Aesthetics. The Band Got Their Break After Okereke Went To A Franz Ferdinand Concert In 2003 And Was Able To Thrust A Copy Of The Single Into The Hands Of Both Franz Lead Singer Alex Kapranos And Radio One DJ Steve Lamacq. Lamacq Subsequently Played The Song On His Radio Show Labeling The Track "genius" And Invited Them To Record A Live Session For The Show. The Buzz Generated Off The Back Of The Single Sparked Some A&R Interest Leading To Another Single "Banquet" This Time Released By The Label Moshi Moshi And To The Eventual Signing With Indie Label Wichita Recordings In April 2004. Bloc Party's Own Variation Of Spiky Guitar Rock Draws On Influences Such As The Cure Gang Of Four The Smashing Pumpkins Sonic Youth Pixies Joy Division And XTC But The Band Says That Some Of These Bands Are Just Comparisons. Does That Last Bit Even Mean Anything? The Drumming On Bloc Party Songs Is Often Influenced By The London Dance And R&B Scene Whilst The Guitar Demonstrates Typical Indie Sharpness With Alternative Panned Chords And Fast Chord Picking. To Achieve Their Unique Guitar Style BOSS Echo Effects Equipment Is Implemented And Is Particularly Apparent On The Track "Like Eating Glass". The Musical Style Of A Weekend In The City Is More Varied However Drawing Influence Particularly From More Expansive Sounding Bands Including Radiohead. As Large As Bloc Party Has Been Over Recent Years They Are Still In Their Youth. They Have Developed Unique Songs And Sounds But They Are Still Trying To Find Their Own Personality. The Song "Flux" Was Released At The End Of 2007 As An Add-On To A Weekend In The City. The Band Is Coming To Terms With Its Growth And Development And Should Find Itself With Its Next Album. Silent Alarm 2004–2006 Their Debut Album Silent Alarm Released In February 2005 Was Met With Critical Acclaim And Broke Sales Records Being Voted By NME Critics As The 2005 Album Of The Year And Reaching #3 On UK Album Charts Selling Platinum In The UK . The Second Single From The Album "So Here We Are" Made The Top 5 On UK Charts. Further Singles "Banquet" Which Reached #13 In NME's "Top 50 Singles Of 2005" "Helicopter" Which Featured On The FIFA 06 Marc Ecko's Getting Up Contents Under Pressure Project Gotham Racing 3 Burnout Revenge And Guitar Hero III Game Soundtracks And "Pioneers" July 2005 Whilst Failing To Repeat This Success Managed To Make Dents In The UK Top 20. The Animated Video For The Single "Pioneers" Was Number One In The NME Video Charts For 4 Weeks And Was Made For A Tiny Budget In Four Weeks By The Shoreditch Based Mini Vegas Design Agency. Even Though The Band Was Met With Good Reviews From Critics In America Bloc Party Failed To Break Through To The Pop Or Rock Charts In The US. Bloc Party Became One Of The Most Popular New Bands Of 2005 And The Established Electronic Group The Chemical Brothers Soon Collaborated With Okereke For "Believe" A Track On The Brothers' Push The Button Album. An Album Of Remixes Of Tracks From Silent Alarm Was Released At The End Of August In The UK. This Remix Album Silent Alarm Remixed Retained The Album's Original Track List And Includes Remixes From The Likes Of Ladytron M83 Death From Above 1979 Four Tet And Mogwai. During July They Recorded Two New Tracks Titles Were Given Of "Hero" And "Two More Years" With Silent Alarm Producer Paul Epworth. The Latter "Two More Years" Was Released On October 3 To Coincide With Their October 2005 UK Tour. The Songs Were Released As An EP Titled Two More Years Accompanied With A Re-Release Of Silent Alarm Which Included "Two More Years" Itself Along With Former Single "Little Thoughts". The Single Format Of "Two More Years" Contained A Remix Of "Banquet" Done By The Streets For Which A Video Was Also Recorded. The Band Also Contributed The Track "The Present" To The Help A Day In The Life Compilation The Profits Of Which Benefits The War Child Charity. The Single "Banquet" Was Sampled In 2006 By DJ Green Lantern For A Track With Apathy Tak Of Rap Duo Styles Of Beyond And Mike Shinoda. The Track Entitled "Bloc Party" Appears On Green Lantern's Fort Minor We Major Mixtape. The Band Released Their Second Album Called A Weekend In The City On February 5 2007 In The UK And February 6 In The United States. The Album Debuted At #12 In The Billboard 200 With 48 000 Copies Sold. It Became Available Via The UK's ITunes Store A Day Ahead Of Schedule On February 4 And Reached The #2 Spot In The Official UK Chart. The Album Was Produced By Jacknife Lee. The First Single "The Prayer" Was Released On January 29. This Single Had Been Located On Their MySpace Since November 22 2006. The Next Single "I Still Remember" Is Their First American Single. In The Build Up To The Release Of The Album Zane Lowe Aired A Live Set From Maida Vale Featuring A Mix Of Old Songs And New Ones On His Evening Radio Show On BBC Radio 1 On January 30 2007. On February 1 2007 A Weekend In The City Was Made Available To Listen To For Free Through The Band's Official MySpace Page. The Band's First Gig Following The Release Of AWITC Was On February 5 At Reading Hexagon. It Was Broadcasted Live On BBC's Music Station 6 Music That Night As Well. Bloc Party Played In The Live Earth Concerts On July 7 2007 And T In The Park And The Oxegen Festival That Same Weekend As Well As Glastonbury And The Reading And Leeds Festivals 2007. On 27th October Bloc Party Showed "Flux" To The World At Their Gig During The BBC Electric Proms And On November 12th They Released The Single. It Charted Well Reaching #8 In The UK Charts And Was Well Received Both By Critics And Fans Despite The New Electronic Direction. On 7th July Bloc Party Premiered New Track "Mercury" On Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 Show Following A Countdown Timer On Bloc Party's Website. The Track Took A Bold New Direction Moving Away From Guitar Rock With An Experimental Electronic Sound. The Track Charted At #16 In The UK Charts When It Was Released As A Single On The 11th Of August. On The 18th Of August In A Webcam Chat With Fans They Announced That Their Third Album Intimacy Would Be Released For Download On Their Website On The 21st Of August. The Album Contained On The 23rd And 24th Of August Bloc Party Played Second Headliners Before The Killers At Reading & Leeds Festivals Opening Their Set With "Mercury" And Also Playing "One Month Off" From Their New Album. They Also Played An Entirely Unplanned Encore Of "She's Hearing Voices". The Album Intimacy Was Released In Physical Formats On October 27th Featuring Additional Tracks Such As Current Single "Talons". In June 2009 It Was Announced That A New Single "One More Chance" Would Be Released On 10 August 2009. The Song Did Not Appear On Intimacy And Was Produced By Jacknife Lee. It Was Played For The First Time On BBC Radio 1 On 18 June. In An Interview With Zane Lowe Immediately Following The Premier Playing Of The Song Okereke Said That He Was In The Studio But That He Couldn't "tell You Anything" In July 2009 Okereke Stated That The Band Did Not Have A Current Recording Contract And Had No Obligation Or Pressure To Release A New Album In The Foreseeable Future He Went On To Suggest That The Release Of A Fourth Album Is On An Indefinite Timescale On 31 October 2009 The Band Played Their Final Gig Of The Bloctober Tour At Bournemouth International Centre Home Town Of Drummer Matt Tong. This Was Recognised As The Band's Last Gig Before Going On Hiatus. In A February 2010 Interview With NME Magazine Lissack Answered Direct Questions About Bloc Party's Future Saying "We're Probably Going To Pick Up Again With Bloc Party Later This Year. I Mean We Wrote A Lot Of New Material On The Last Tour. What Does It Sound Like? It's Hard To Say. It's Still Just Sketches Of Songs. The Feel Will Come Together In The Studio. We're Definitely Not Splitting Up There's A Lot More Creative Life Left In It Yet." On 11 July 2012 The Band Released "Octopus" The First Single From Their Upcoming Fourth Album "Four". The Album Was Released On 20 August 2012. During The Summer Tour Of 2013 Drummer Matt Tong Left The Band. Lissack Told A Canadian Newspaper The National Post That The Band Were Planning To Take An Indefinite Hiatus Following Their Appearance At The Latitude Festival On 19 July. In September 2014 Okereke Stated That Bloc Party Were Working On A Fifth Album. In March 2015 Bassist Gordon Moakes Tweeted He Had Parted Ways With Bloc Party. Bloc Party Unveiled Their New Line-Up At Two Intimate Gigs In The Los Angeles Area 19 August 2015 At The Glass House In Pomona And 20 August 2015 At The Roxy In Los Angeles . Following These Performances Bloc Party Also Subheadlined FYF Fest In Los Angeles On 22 August 2015. At These Shows The Band Confirmed That They've Finished Recording Their Next Album. The Shows Marked The Live Debut For New Bassist Justin Harris Of The Portland Oregon Indie Rock Outfit Menomena Who Had Previously Opened Several Bloc Party U.S. Tour Dates In April 2009 And Drummer Louise Bartle Who Was Accidentally Announced A Month Earlier As Bloc Party's Drummer By Instrument Manufacturer Natal Drums. In A Performance At Maida Vale Bloc Party Gave "The Good News" Its Live Debut Hours Later "The Love Within" Was Featured As "Hottest Record In The World" By Annie Mac On BBC Radio 1. Okereke Revealed The Band's Upcoming Fifth Album Is Set To Be Titled Hymns. The Album's Release Was Later Confirmed On Social Media As 29 January 2016.
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Biography - Bloc Party
Bloc Party Is An Indie Rock Band Which Formed In 1999 In London England. The Band Currently Consists Of Kele Okereke Vocals Guitar Russell Lissack Guitar Justin Harris Bass Vocals And Louise Bartle Drums Vocals . The Band Has Released Six Albums "Silent Alarm" 2005 "A Weekend In The City" 2007 "Intimacy" 2008 "Four" 2012 "Hymns" 2016 And "Alpha Games" 2022 . Bloc Party Have Been Together Since 1999 With Names Such As Superheroes Of BMX The Angel Range Diet And Union Before Settling On Bloc Party In September 2003. Band Members Kele Okereke And Russell Lissack Have Formed The Fulcrum Of These Various Incarnations And Were Subsequently Joined By Bassist Gordon Moakes Who Answered An Advert In The NME And Most Recently Drummer Matt Tong. Lissack And Singer/guitarist Kele Okereke First Met In 1998 In Essex Where Lissack Had Grown Up And Okereke Attended School. Lissack Attended Bancroft's School And Okereke Attended Ilford County High School Until 16 Then Trinity School For Sixth Form. They Bumped Into Each Other Again In 1999 At The Reading Festival And Soon After Formed The Band Union. In 2003 They Changed Their Name From Union To Bloc Party. The Name Is A Play On Block Party A Name For An Informal Neighbourhood Festival Which Might Hire A Local Band As Entertainment. The Band Have Said That The Name Was Not Intended To Be An Allusion To The Soviet Bloc Or The Canadian Political Party Bloc Québécois The Absence Of A 'k' Is Purely For Aesthetics. However The Band's Bassist Gordon Moakes Said On The Group's Official Internet Forum That It Was More A Merging Of The Eastern "blocs" And The Western "parties" In The Political Sense. Moakes Notes That The Name Was Not Driven By Politics But Rather It "looked Sounded Seemed Fine So We Went With It." In November 2003 Bloc Party Had Their Track "The Marshalls Are Dead" Featured On A Compilation CD Called The New Cross Released By Angular Recording Corporation. Soon After They Released Their Debut Sngle "She's Hearing Voices" On The Then Fledgling Record Label Trash Aesthetics. The Band Got Their Break After Okereke Went To A Franz Ferdinand Concert In 2003 And Was Able To Thrust A Copy Of The Single Into The Hands Of Both Franz Lead Singer Alex Kapranos And Radio One DJ Steve Lamacq. Lamacq Subsequently Played The Song On His Radio Show Labeling The Track "genius" And Invited Them To Record A Live Session For The Show. The Buzz Generated Off The Back Of The Single Sparked Some A&R Interest Leading To Another Single "Banquet" This Time Released By The Label Moshi Moshi And To The Eventual Signing With Indie Label Wichita Recordings In April 2004. Bloc Party's Own Variation Of Spiky Guitar Rock Draws On Influences Such As The Cure Gang Of Four The Smashing Pumpkins Sonic Youth Pixies Joy Division And XTC But The Band Says That Some Of These Bands Are Just Comparisons. Does That Last Bit Even Mean Anything? The Drumming On Bloc Party Songs Is Often Influenced By The London Dance And R&B Scene Whilst The Guitar Demonstrates Typical Indie Sharpness With Alternative Panned Chords And Fast Chord Picking. To Achieve Their Unique Guitar Style BOSS Echo Effects Equipment Is Implemented And Is Particularly Apparent On The Track "Like Eating Glass". The Musical Style Of A Weekend In The City Is More Varied However Drawing Influence Particularly From More Expansive Sounding Bands Including Radiohead. As Large As Bloc Party Has Been Over Recent Years They Are Still In Their Youth. They Have Developed Unique Songs And Sounds But They Are Still Trying To Find Their Own Personality. The Song "Flux" Was Released At The End Of 2007 As An Add-On To A Weekend In The City. The Band Is Coming To Terms With Its Growth And Development And Should Find Itself With Its Next Album. Silent Alarm 2004–2006 Their Debut Album Silent Alarm Released In February 2005 Was Met With Critical Acclaim And Broke Sales Records Being Voted By NME Critics As The 2005 Album Of The Year And Reaching #3 On UK Album Charts Selling Platinum In The UK . The Second Single From The Album "So Here We Are" Made The Top 5 On UK Charts. Further Singles "Banquet" Which Reached #13 In NME's "Top 50 Singles Of 2005" "Helicopter" Which Featured On The FIFA 06 Marc Ecko's Getting Up Contents Under Pressure Project Gotham Racing 3 Burnout Revenge And Guitar Hero III Game Soundtracks And "Pioneers" July 2005 Whilst Failing To Repeat This Success Managed To Make Dents In The UK Top 20. The Animated Video For The Single "Pioneers" Was Number One In The NME Video Charts For 4 Weeks And Was Made For A Tiny Budget In Four Weeks By The Shoreditch Based Mini Vegas Design Agency. Even Though The Band Was Met With Good Reviews From Critics In America Bloc Party Failed To Break Through To The Pop Or Rock Charts In The US. Bloc Party Became One Of The Most Popular New Bands Of 2005 And The Established Electronic Group The Chemical Brothers Soon Collaborated With Okereke For "Believe" A Track On The Brothers' Push The Button Album. An Album Of Remixes Of Tracks From Silent Alarm Was Released At The End Of August In The UK. This Remix Album Silent Alarm Remixed Retained The Album's Original Track List And Includes Remixes From The Likes Of Ladytron M83 Death From Above 1979 Four Tet And Mogwai. During July They Recorded Two New Tracks Titles Were Given Of "Hero" And "Two More Years" With Silent Alarm Producer Paul Epworth. The Latter "Two More Years" Was Released On October 3 To Coincide With Their October 2005 UK Tour. The Songs Were Released As An EP Titled Two More Years Accompanied With A Re-Release Of Silent Alarm Which Included "Two More Years" Itself Along With Former Single "Little Thoughts". The Single Format Of "Two More Years" Contained A Remix Of "Banquet" Done By The Streets For Which A Video Was Also Recorded. The Band Also Contributed The Track "The Present" To The Help A Day In The Life Compilation The Profits Of Which Benefits The War Child Charity. The Single "Banquet" Was Sampled In 2006 By DJ Green Lantern For A Track With Apathy Tak Of Rap Duo Styles Of Beyond And Mike Shinoda. The Track Entitled "Bloc Party" Appears On Green Lantern's Fort Minor We Major Mixtape. The Band Released Their Second Album Called A Weekend In The City On February 5 2007 In The UK And February 6 In The United States. The Album Debuted At #12 In The Billboard 200 With 48 000 Copies Sold. It Became Available Via The UK's ITunes Store A Day Ahead Of Schedule On February 4 And Reached The #2 Spot In The Official UK Chart. The Album Was Produced By Jacknife Lee. The First Single "The Prayer" Was Released On January 29. This Single Had Been Located On Their MySpace Since November 22 2006. The Next Single "I Still Remember" Is Their First American Single. In The Build Up To The Release Of The Album Zane Lowe Aired A Live Set From Maida Vale Featuring A Mix Of Old Songs And New Ones On His Evening Radio Show On BBC Radio 1 On January 30 2007. On February 1 2007 A Weekend In The City Was Made Available To Listen To For Free Through The Band's Official MySpace Page. The Band's First Gig Following The Release Of AWITC Was On February 5 At Reading Hexagon. It Was Broadcasted Live On BBC's Music Station 6 Music That Night As Well. Bloc Party Played In The Live Earth Concerts On July 7 2007 And T In The Park And The Oxegen Festival That Same Weekend As Well As Glastonbury And The Reading And Leeds Festivals 2007. On 27th October Bloc Party Showed "Flux" To The World At Their Gig During The BBC Electric Proms And On November 12th They Released The Single. It Charted Well Reaching #8 In The UK Charts And Was Well Received Both By Critics And Fans Despite The New Electronic Direction. On 7th July Bloc Party Premiered New Track "Mercury" On Zane Lowe's BBC Radio 1 Show Following A Countdown Timer On Bloc Party's Website. The Track Took A Bold New Direction Moving Away From Guitar Rock With An Experimental Electronic Sound. The Track Charted At #16 In The UK Charts When It Was Released As A Single On The 11th Of August. On The 18th Of August In A Webcam Chat With Fans They Announced That Their Third Album Intimacy Would Be Released For Download On Their Website On The 21st Of August. The Album Contained On The 23rd And 24th Of August Bloc Party Played Second Headliners Before The Killers At Reading & Leeds Festivals Opening Their Set With "Mercury" And Also Playing "One Month Off" From Their New Album. They Also Played An Entirely Unplanned Encore Of "She's Hearing Voices". The Album Intimacy Was Released In Physical Formats On October 27th Featuring Additional Tracks Such As Current Single "Talons". In June 2009 It Was Announced That A New Single "One More Chance" Would Be Released On 10 August 2009. The Song Did Not Appear On Intimacy And Was Produced By Jacknife Lee. It Was Played For The First Time On BBC Radio 1 On 18 June. In An Interview With Zane Lowe Immediately Following The Premier Playing Of The Song Okereke Said That He Was In The Studio But That He Couldn't "tell You Anything" In July 2009 Okereke Stated That The Band Did Not Have A Current Recording Contract And Had No Obligation Or Pressure To Release A New Album In The Foreseeable Future He Went On To Suggest That The Release Of A Fourth Album Is On An Indefinite Timescale On 31 October 2009 The Band Played Their Final Gig Of The Bloctober Tour At Bournemouth International Centre Home Town Of Drummer Matt Tong. This Was Recognised As The Band's Last Gig Before Going On Hiatus. In A February 2010 Interview With NME Magazine Lissack Answered Direct Questions About Bloc Party's Future Saying "We're Probably Going To Pick Up Again With Bloc Party Later This Year. I Mean We Wrote A Lot Of New Material On The Last Tour. What Does It Sound Like? It's Hard To Say. It's Still Just Sketches Of Songs. The Feel Will Come Together In The Studio. We're Definitely Not Splitting Up There's A Lot More Creative Life Left In It Yet." On 11 July 2012 The Band Released "Octopus" The First Single From Their Upcoming Fourth Album "Four". The Album Was Released On 20 August 2012. During The Summer Tour Of 2013 Drummer Matt Tong Left The Band. Lissack Told A Canadian Newspaper The National Post That The Band Were Planning To Take An Indefinite Hiatus Following Their Appearance At The Latitude Festival On 19 July. In September 2014 Okereke Stated That Bloc Party Were Working On A Fifth Album. In March 2015 Bassist Gordon Moakes Tweeted He Had Parted Ways With Bloc Party. Bloc Party Unveiled Their New Line-Up At Two Intimate Gigs In The Los Angeles Area 19 August 2015 At The Glass House In Pomona And 20 August 2015 At The Roxy In Los Angeles . Following These Performances Bloc Party Also Subheadlined FYF Fest In Los Angeles On 22 August 2015. At These Shows The Band Confirmed That They've Finished Recording Their Next Album. The Shows Marked The Live Debut For New Bassist Justin Harris Of The Portland Oregon Indie Rock Outfit Menomena Who Had Previously Opened Several Bloc Party U.S. Tour Dates In April 2009 And Drummer Louise Bartle Who Was Accidentally Announced A Month Earlier As Bloc Party's Drummer By Instrument Manufacturer Natal Drums. In A Performance At Maida Vale Bloc Party Gave "The Good News" Its Live Debut Hours Later "The Love Within" Was Featured As "Hottest Record In The World" By Annie Mac On BBC Radio 1. Okereke Revealed The Band's Upcoming Fifth Album Is Set To Be Titled Hymns. The Album's Release Was Later Confirmed On Social Media As 29 January 2016.
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Bloc Party Wanted To Create An Album That Further Distanced The Band From The Traditional Rock Set-Up By Incorporating More Electronic Elements And Unconventional Musical Arrangements. As The Record's Title Suggests Its Tracks Are About Personal Relationships And Are Loosely Based On One Of Frontman Kele Okereke's Breakups In 2007. Three Songs Were Released As Singles "Mercury" "Talons" And "One Month Off" The First Two Tracks Entered The UK Top 40. Intimacy Was Generally Well Received By Critics. Reviewers Often Focused On Its Rush-Release And Central Theme And Considered Them Either Bold Steps Or Poor Choices. Origins And Recording Bloc Party's Second Album A Weekend In The City Released In 2007 Allowed The Quartet To Evolve Sonically By Including More Electronically Tampered Soundscapes But The Band Members Were Not Entirely Comfortable With More Daring Musical Arrangements When Making The Record. According To Multi-Instrumentalist Gordon Moakes The Impromptu November 2007 Single "Flux" "opened A Door To The Fact That We Could Go In Any Direction" In Future Works. After The NME Big Gig In February 2008 The Band Members Took A Month Off From Touring And Did Not Interact With Each Other During That Period. Moakes Felt That There Were No Rules When The Band Re-Assembled For Studio Work. Chief Lyricist Okereke Completed Most Of The Songwriting Before The Recording Process.
You Know What The Parameters Are. You Aren't Stifled By Having Too Much Choice. You Know What You Have To Do In This Time Frame To Make It Work. Whereas If We Had A Whole Year In A Studio It Would Have Been A Very Different Record. That's The Conditions That Bloc Party Thrive Under Having To Work Quickly.
Kele Okereke On Bloc Party's Methods During The Recording Of Intimacy
In Mid-2008 Bloc Party Attended Secret Sessions At Studios In The South-East Of England. The Band Aimed To Use A Similar Process To The Creation Of "Flux" Which Was Crafted In A Week. Paul Epworth And Jacknife Lee—from Bloc Party's Previous Albums Silent Alarm And A Weekend In The City Respectively—returned To The Production Staff For Intimacy Because The Band Members Felt That They Had "unfinished Business" With Both. Okereke Has Stated That Having Two Producers Allowed For Musical Experimentation. Epworth Focused On Capturing The Dynamic Of A Live Band By Working On Fully Developed Songs And Emphasising The Rhythm Section In The Mix. Lee Aided The Band Members' Evolution Towards A More Electronic Style By Creating Tracks With Them. Each Producer Worked On Five Of The Record's Original Ten Tracks.
According To Okereke Bloc Party Wanted To Make Something As Stylised As R&B Or Electronica Combining The Rawness Of Silent Alarm And The Recording Experience Gained From A Weekend In The City. The Frontman Drew Inspiration From Siouxsie And The Banshees’ 1988 Song "Peek-A-Boo" And Aimed To Create "rock Interpretations Of Dance". The Band Worked By Initially Performing Sound Checks With Only Guitar Chords Keyboard Notes And Drum Beats. Discussing The Interplay Between Rhythm Guitarist Okereke And Lead Guitarist Russell Lissack Epworth Has Stated That "Kele Will Do One Thing That Creates A Great Deal Of Impact Whereas Russell's Very Good At Subtle Embellishments And Leading The Melodic Side Of Things Outside Of The Vocal". The Band Members Decided To Record The First Ten Tracks Crafted After Judging First Ideas To Often Be The Best. They "thrived" Under The Pressure Of Timed Sessions Which Lasted Only Two Weeks.
Moakes Has Indicated That There Was No Worry About Whether A Song Could Be Recreated Live In Concert In The Same Way As It Would Appear On Record. A Brass Section And A Chamber Choir Were Hired As Additional Musicians. Drum Machines And Distorted Guitars Were Used More Extensively Than In Bloc Party's Previous Works To Create A Sense Of Manipulation To The Basic Rock Palette. Drummer Matt Tong Was Initially Skeptical Of Moulding Songs With Programmed Drums As Opposed To Using His Physical Output But Agreed To The Idea When The Band Recorded Some Of The Tracks In Their Entirety. On Some Songs The Guitars Were Disregarded And The Band Focused Solely On The Beat. Okereke's Voice Was Often Used As An Instrument By Being Looped Vocoded Or Run Through Effects Pedals. Critical Reception Media Response To Intimacy Was Generally Favourable Aggregating Website Metacritic Reports A Normalised Rating Of 69% Based On 27 Critical Reviews. Steven Robertshaw Of Alternative Press Described The Album As Arguably Bloc Party's Finest Career Moment And Noted That It Offers "sweat And Circuitry Savagery And Submission And A Captivating Energy That's Severely Lacking In Many Music Scenes On The Planet". Kyle Anderson Of Rolling Stone Claimed That By "replacing Bloc Party's Distant Cool With Vivid Honesty Okereke Makes Intimacy A Confident New Peak For His Band" While PopMatters' Ross Langager Explained That The Record "might Not Actually Be All That Intimate But It Is A Thing Of Rough Recycled Beauty". Adam Mazmanian Of The Washington Times Commented That The Album's Final Mix Showed That Producers Epworth And Lee Preserved The Essence Of Bloc Party's Signature Sound—"minor Key Rock Thrumming With Rhythmic Intensity"—while Taking The Band In New Musical Directions. Dave Simpson Of The Guardian Concluded That It Would Please Old And New Fans Alike By Being "brave Individual And Heartfelt".
Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen Was Less Receptive And Asserted That The Record Seems Like A Document Of A Band Disconnected From Its Musical Strengths. Josh Modell Of Spin Felt That Intimacy Sometimes Gets "sonically Or Lyrically Precarious" While John Robinson Of Uncut Commented That "there's An Air Of Slightly Hedged Bets". Drowned In Sound's Nick Southall Claimed That The Record Is Not Quite The Radical Statement Bloc Party Set Out To Achieve But Concluded That It Is "definitely A Little Bit Of Invigorating Redemption At A Time When Doubts Were Beginning To Cloud What Was Initially A Flawless Reputation". In Its Year-End Music Review For 2008 Under The Radar Stated About The Band Members "They Are So Solid And So Confident That It Seems Inevitable That They Will Get Many Chances To Slowly Drift Into More Daring Lands. But Without More Risk They May Be Destined To Make Albums Like Intimacy – Accomplished And Intriguing But Not Life Changing Not Classic." The Record Figured In Several Publications' End-Of-Year Best Album Lists For 2008—notably At Number 14 By Gigwise At Number 36 By Drowned In Sound And At Number 49 By NME.
Published: 01 Jan 2012, 04:19
Intimacy Is The Third Studio Album By British Indie Rock Band Bloc Party. It Was Recorded In Two Weeks At Several Locations In London And Kent During 2008 And Was Produced By Paul Epworth And Jacknife Lee. Inspired By The Release Options Available In The Internet Age The Band Members Made The Album Available For Purchase On Their Website As A Digital Download On 21 August 2008. Minimal Promotion Was Undertaken In The UK. The Record Was Released In Compact Disc Form On 24 October 2008 With Wichita Recordings As The Primary Label. It Peaked At Number 8 On The UK Albums Chart And Entered The Billboard 200 In The United States At Number 18.Bloc Party Wanted To Create An Album That Further Distanced The Band From The Traditional Rock Set-Up By Incorporating More Electronic Elements And Unconventional Musical Arrangements. As The Record's Title Suggests Its Tracks Are About Personal Relationships And Are Loosely Based On One Of Frontman Kele Okereke's Breakups In 2007. Three Songs Were Released As Singles "Mercury" "Talons" And "One Month Off" The First Two Tracks Entered The UK Top 40. Intimacy Was Generally Well Received By Critics. Reviewers Often Focused On Its Rush-Release And Central Theme And Considered Them Either Bold Steps Or Poor Choices. Origins And Recording Bloc Party's Second Album A Weekend In The City Released In 2007 Allowed The Quartet To Evolve Sonically By Including More Electronically Tampered Soundscapes But The Band Members Were Not Entirely Comfortable With More Daring Musical Arrangements When Making The Record. According To Multi-Instrumentalist Gordon Moakes The Impromptu November 2007 Single "Flux" "opened A Door To The Fact That We Could Go In Any Direction" In Future Works. After The NME Big Gig In February 2008 The Band Members Took A Month Off From Touring And Did Not Interact With Each Other During That Period. Moakes Felt That There Were No Rules When The Band Re-Assembled For Studio Work. Chief Lyricist Okereke Completed Most Of The Songwriting Before The Recording Process.
You Know What The Parameters Are. You Aren't Stifled By Having Too Much Choice. You Know What You Have To Do In This Time Frame To Make It Work. Whereas If We Had A Whole Year In A Studio It Would Have Been A Very Different Record. That's The Conditions That Bloc Party Thrive Under Having To Work Quickly.
Kele Okereke On Bloc Party's Methods During The Recording Of Intimacy
In Mid-2008 Bloc Party Attended Secret Sessions At Studios In The South-East Of England. The Band Aimed To Use A Similar Process To The Creation Of "Flux" Which Was Crafted In A Week. Paul Epworth And Jacknife Lee—from Bloc Party's Previous Albums Silent Alarm And A Weekend In The City Respectively—returned To The Production Staff For Intimacy Because The Band Members Felt That They Had "unfinished Business" With Both. Okereke Has Stated That Having Two Producers Allowed For Musical Experimentation. Epworth Focused On Capturing The Dynamic Of A Live Band By Working On Fully Developed Songs And Emphasising The Rhythm Section In The Mix. Lee Aided The Band Members' Evolution Towards A More Electronic Style By Creating Tracks With Them. Each Producer Worked On Five Of The Record's Original Ten Tracks.
According To Okereke Bloc Party Wanted To Make Something As Stylised As R&B Or Electronica Combining The Rawness Of Silent Alarm And The Recording Experience Gained From A Weekend In The City. The Frontman Drew Inspiration From Siouxsie And The Banshees’ 1988 Song "Peek-A-Boo" And Aimed To Create "rock Interpretations Of Dance". The Band Worked By Initially Performing Sound Checks With Only Guitar Chords Keyboard Notes And Drum Beats. Discussing The Interplay Between Rhythm Guitarist Okereke And Lead Guitarist Russell Lissack Epworth Has Stated That "Kele Will Do One Thing That Creates A Great Deal Of Impact Whereas Russell's Very Good At Subtle Embellishments And Leading The Melodic Side Of Things Outside Of The Vocal". The Band Members Decided To Record The First Ten Tracks Crafted After Judging First Ideas To Often Be The Best. They "thrived" Under The Pressure Of Timed Sessions Which Lasted Only Two Weeks.
Moakes Has Indicated That There Was No Worry About Whether A Song Could Be Recreated Live In Concert In The Same Way As It Would Appear On Record. A Brass Section And A Chamber Choir Were Hired As Additional Musicians. Drum Machines And Distorted Guitars Were Used More Extensively Than In Bloc Party's Previous Works To Create A Sense Of Manipulation To The Basic Rock Palette. Drummer Matt Tong Was Initially Skeptical Of Moulding Songs With Programmed Drums As Opposed To Using His Physical Output But Agreed To The Idea When The Band Recorded Some Of The Tracks In Their Entirety. On Some Songs The Guitars Were Disregarded And The Band Focused Solely On The Beat. Okereke's Voice Was Often Used As An Instrument By Being Looped Vocoded Or Run Through Effects Pedals. Critical Reception Media Response To Intimacy Was Generally Favourable Aggregating Website Metacritic Reports A Normalised Rating Of 69% Based On 27 Critical Reviews. Steven Robertshaw Of Alternative Press Described The Album As Arguably Bloc Party's Finest Career Moment And Noted That It Offers "sweat And Circuitry Savagery And Submission And A Captivating Energy That's Severely Lacking In Many Music Scenes On The Planet". Kyle Anderson Of Rolling Stone Claimed That By "replacing Bloc Party's Distant Cool With Vivid Honesty Okereke Makes Intimacy A Confident New Peak For His Band" While PopMatters' Ross Langager Explained That The Record "might Not Actually Be All That Intimate But It Is A Thing Of Rough Recycled Beauty". Adam Mazmanian Of The Washington Times Commented That The Album's Final Mix Showed That Producers Epworth And Lee Preserved The Essence Of Bloc Party's Signature Sound—"minor Key Rock Thrumming With Rhythmic Intensity"—while Taking The Band In New Musical Directions. Dave Simpson Of The Guardian Concluded That It Would Please Old And New Fans Alike By Being "brave Individual And Heartfelt".
Pitchfork Media's Ian Cohen Was Less Receptive And Asserted That The Record Seems Like A Document Of A Band Disconnected From Its Musical Strengths. Josh Modell Of Spin Felt That Intimacy Sometimes Gets "sonically Or Lyrically Precarious" While John Robinson Of Uncut Commented That "there's An Air Of Slightly Hedged Bets". Drowned In Sound's Nick Southall Claimed That The Record Is Not Quite The Radical Statement Bloc Party Set Out To Achieve But Concluded That It Is "definitely A Little Bit Of Invigorating Redemption At A Time When Doubts Were Beginning To Cloud What Was Initially A Flawless Reputation". In Its Year-End Music Review For 2008 Under The Radar Stated About The Band Members "They Are So Solid And So Confident That It Seems Inevitable That They Will Get Many Chances To Slowly Drift Into More Daring Lands. But Without More Risk They May Be Destined To Make Albums Like Intimacy – Accomplished And Intriguing But Not Life Changing Not Classic." The Record Figured In Several Publications' End-Of-Year Best Album Lists For 2008—notably At Number 14 By Gigwise At Number 36 By Drowned In Sound And At Number 49 By NME.