After the success of Bloc Party’s fourth album,
Four, came the dreaded announcement: another hiatus, and yet again, indefinite. So surely
The Nextwave Sessions were to be some sort of parting gift, a goodbye, for now…Opener ‘Ratchet’ is a wild, funky, guitar-led song, showcasing the more experimental side to Bloc Party. Weirdly, despite the lyrics that wouldn’t be unfitting to a Dizzee Rascal song, they make it work. The tightness of the music and the fun present in the track all carry it through to make it an enjoyable listen.‘Obscene’ sees a drastic change in tempo and a return to the more electronic side of the band. We are presented with a toast to the slower, often best moments in their albums (‘So Here We Are’ and ‘Signs’ are just a couple of examples). It’s just a shame it’s a toast that never really raises the glass from the table.
‘French Exit’ takes things and speeds them back up again, taking you to a place you’d already visited on
Four numerous times. Here though, the heavy guitars seem to drown Kele’s vocals, the vocals that have made the band who they are today.‘Montreal’ is the longest song on the E.P and again showcases the band’s slower side, with the focus on haunting vocals and creeping guitars it is the strongest and the only song in the
Sessions that could have stood alone.‘Children of the Future’ offers little more than what a ‘Silent Alarm’ B-Side would. As Kele sings “There / the next stage / there / the next wave”, you really can’t help but feel this is a weak send off to one of the strongest periods in their career.
The Nextwave Sessions sees one of Britain’s biggest bands attempt to retrace steps from their former glory. Even as a piece of material purely for fans of the band, it should have never been given major release and perhaps should’ve been leaked onto the internet, or bundled along with a drum and bass remix of ‘Ratchet’.
We wished, we hoped, we dreamed, but it didn’t quite come off. Let’s hope the hiatus helps Bloc Party improve on 4/10.
The Nextwave Sessions EP was released today on Frenchkiss Records.
After the success of Bloc Party’s fourth album, Four, came the dreaded announcement: another hiatus, and yet again, indefinite. So surely The Nextwave Sessions were to be some sort of parting gift, a goodbye, for now…Opener ‘Ratchet’ is a wild, funky, guitar-led song, showcasing the more experimental side to Bloc Party. Weirdly, despite the lyrics that wouldn’t be unfitting to a Dizzee Rascal song, they make it work. The tightness of the music and the fun present in the track all carry it through to make it an enjoyable listen.‘Obscene’ sees a drastic change in tempo and a return to the more electronic side of the band. We are presented with a toast to the slower, often best moments in their albums (‘So Here We Are’ and ‘Signs’ are just a couple of examples). It’s just a shame it’s a toast that never really raises the glass from the table.
‘French Exit’ takes things and speeds them back up again, taking you to a place you’d already visited on Four numerous times. Here though, the heavy guitars seem to drown Kele’s vocals, the vocals that have made the band who they are today.‘Montreal’ is the longest song on the E.P and again showcases the band’s slower side, with the focus on haunting vocals and creeping guitars it is the strongest and the only song in the Sessions that could have stood alone.‘Children of the Future’ offers little more than what a ‘Silent Alarm’ B-Side would. As Kele sings “There / the next stage / there / the next wave”, you really can’t help but feel this is a weak send off to one of the strongest periods in their career.The Nextwave Sessions sees one of Britain’s biggest bands attempt to retrace steps from their former glory. Even as a piece of material purely for fans of the band, it should have never been given major release and perhaps should’ve been leaked onto the internet, or bundled along with a drum and bass remix of ‘Ratchet’.We wished, we hoped, we dreamed, but it didn’t quite come off. Let’s hope the hiatus helps Bloc Party improve on 4/10.
The Nextwave Sessions EP was released today on Frenchkiss Records.
