Silent Alarm [PA] (CD - 2005)

Personnel: Paul Epworth (programming).

Audio Mixer: Rich Costey.

Audio Remixer: Four Tet.

Recording information: Detalab Studios, Copenhagen, Denmark (06/2004-07/2004); Miloco, Hoxton (06/2004-07/2004); The Exchange, London, England (06/2004-07/2004).

Photographers: Paul Epworth; Matt Tong.

On this immensely appealing debut, SILENT ALARM, the London-based quartet Bloc Party fulfills the promise of their barnstorming 2004 singles "Banquet" and "She's Hearing Voices." Led by magnetic frontman Kele Okereke, the band extracts the most fascinating aspects of the previous 25 years of British indie rock and fuses them into a new entity--complete with smarts and heart--never delving into retro-kitsch or slavish imitation.

Okerere's urgent yelp most often recalls a fired-up incarnation of the Cure's Robert Smith, but the sounds the group creates echo everything from Gang of Four's staccato militarism ("Banquet") to the reverberating guitars of the Chameleons ("Price of Gas"). At times, Bloc Party also recalls the ecstatic soundwashes of early-1990s cult pioneers like Ride ("Plans") and Slowdive ("Compliments"). Lyrically, Okerere tilts toward an endearing adolescent pessimism that, even when the music is less than mopey, gives him away as a goth at heart ("and the ravens are leaving the tower/make your peace"). However, at the end of "Price of Gas," when he proclaims "I can tell you how this ends/We're going to win this," one can hope that Okerere is expressing his confidence in a bright future for his extremely talented band.

Although most remix albums offer little more than vaguely tweaked novelty, Bloc Party's SILENT ALARM REMIXED transcends that trend with a stunningly diverse set of reworked tracks from the British group's much-lauded debut. Given the consistently high quality of the original songs, the guest artists--which include innovative electronica acts (M83, Four Tet) and like-minded post-punk peers (Engineers, Mogwai)--have a lot to work with here. Keeping SILENT ALARM's running order intact, REMIXED pushes frontman Kele Okereke's vocals up and down in the mix, while adding and subtracting keyboards, guitars, and beats, resulting in reinterpreted tracks that often sound remarkably different from their earlier counterparts. In fact, SILENT ALARM REMIXED is so well executed that it may win Bloc Party a new set of techno-inclined fans, and turn few Britpop aficionados in the direction of their record store's electronica section. minimize