Bloc Party, Hymns (2016), BMG
After a brief hiatus, London indie heroes Bloc Party return with their fifth studio album, Hymns. Their debut, Silent Alarm, turned heads upon it’s release in 2005 with the introduction of their signature bouncing indie with a strong focus on rhythm. Their second, A Weekend in the City (2007), was arguably more successful, incorporating more electronic beats and strings into their sound – a musical direction that they continued in for third release, Intimacy (2008). After a four year hiatus in 2009, Bloc Party returned with Four; a regression into the guitar-centric sound that was prominent on their debut. The album was instantly forgettable and lacked much of the personality that made Silent Alarm so great. Now, after another hiatus, Bloc Party are back with an NME cover – and more importantly, an album.
Hymns sees Kele Okereke and co return with a brand new rhythm section and a brand new sound for them. This is their furthest departure from their original sound, with the guitar-heavy indie rock being replaced with a R&B influenced, effect-driven mess. The production has enough watery reverb to give someone swimmer’s ear and Okereke’s vocals are simply not strong enough to justify just how much falsetto makes an appearance on this LP. The weak vocals and awkward attempts at ‘sexy’ throughout this album, notably on the song Fortress, make it, at times, a very uncomfortable listen.
Despite some promising guitar parts sprinkled throughout, particularly on lead single The Love Within and Only He Can Heal Me, these are shadowed by soulless writing and awkward vocals. Bloc Party fans will be wishing that Hymns is the answer to all of their prayers, but I think many will be left disappointed with what is a very shoddy album. 3/10
For Fans of: Discomfort & badly executed falsetto.
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Listen to the album here:
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