Bloc Party Return With 'Octopus'
The comeback band and fans alike have been waiting.
Hi there! We're delighted to be able to announce the debut of our first single in three years. Entitled "Octopus", we hope you will become entangled in its myriad tentacles - look out for Russell staking his claim for inclusion in the guitar solo pantheon. It is getting its first play on Zane Lowe on BBC Radio 1 this evening. There is also be a video accompanying the single which you can now. The return of Bloc Party has been bubbling and brewing for some time now, to boiling point over the last few months. After the release of the none-too-well received Intimacy back in 2008, and then the one off single One More Chance in 2009, Bloc Party were no longer bound by a record contract. This kick started an indefinite hiatus for the band, with Kele pursuing his solo career. Further channelling the electronica and dance influences that had become far more prevalent in Bloc Party. The rest of the band took up live duties with other bands and reignited the flames of past musical ventures. However everything Bloc Party remained very silent, not helped by rumours that began to circulate of Kele leaving the band entirely for his solo career, the band rehearsing without Kele; even auditioning singers and a general air of tension between the band. The band quashed such rumours, but they persisted as the band went into the writing stages of new material with Kele seemingly still not a part of the process as he finished up the obligations of his solo material. With the announcement though of a band intention to release a new album this year, soon followed at the beginning of this with Kele stating in an interview that the band had completely recorded 2 tracks and had 17 further demos ready to follow, it soon became clear all was well in the Bloc Party camp to the point of an incendiary work ethic. The next few months the band teased fans with snippets of rehearsal footage (mostly their joking around as to what the new songs would entail), the announcement that the album was finished, the signing of a new record deal and a trailer for the forthcoming fourth album imaginatively titled Four. http://youtu.be/s4M5EqOGsMA As mentioned, last night saw the world premiere of their first single in three years and the first real glimpse at what the new album could entail. A video followed soon after with the announcement of its immediate availability on iTunes, and the new album available for pre-order. Starting with a riff that sounds something like a lazer beam, its reminiscent of the heavily effected electronic sound they chased on Intimacy but it soon becomes clear that the angular punch of earlier material like that found on Silent Alarm is very much in place, and back to the fore. Kele himself delivers one of his strongest vocal performances in some time as it shifts between falsetto and angst filled yelp. Its clear the freedom of his solo career has had an impact on him, sounding far more comfortable, confident and like hes actually enjoying himself. Plus theres a solo that sounds like a cross between Aerodynamic by Daft Punk and Eruption by Van Halen. http://youtu.be/TkeUFRK4i7w On the strength of this, the signs are good for Bloc Partys comeback going very smoothly. With more and more dates filling out their touring schedule as the days go by, this could well be the return that both they and their fans have been waiting/hoping for. But, what do you think?