New DVD Will Have to Do Till Bloc Party's Next Visit

For those who were looking, British rockers Bloc Party could be spotted on Landsdowne St. this past September. For those with great foresight, the foursome could be found down Comm Ave. in BU’s backyard months earlier. And for those who missed them altogether in 2005, an early DVD release will hold us over until a new album draws them back across the Atlantic.

Within six months, Bloc Party graduated from The Paradise to The Avalon supporting Silent Alarm, a danceable rock album that is difficult to pin down by genre, but is wanting for praise. Gaining mass popularity and critical appeal on both sides of the Atlantic, it was voted (under a shroud of controversy) NME Album of the Year, nominated for the Mercury Prize, and is a finalist for the New Pantheon award (replacing the now defunct Shortlist Award - not to mention being included in Bostonist's list of the top 25 albums of 2005.

To lump BP in with Franz Ferdinand is somewhat unfair in that Kele Okerek’s lyrics have a heavier lean and the music isn’t a quest at perfecting the same guitar angles over and over again. In fact, most critics point to Gang of Four as an obvious influence, but Kele claims to have not known much about them. And yet, “art punk” seems to be the best label. Regardless, there are tracks on this album and songs that Bloc Party dazzled Boston audiences with this past year, twice over, that appeal to you, your roommate, and your favorite artist.

Vice Records’ first output for 2006 (out January 17) is a DVD, God Bless Bloc Party, which promises to capture the whirlwind year of the hopeful British group. Following the second US tour, it remains to be seen where their tour van might have been parked around The Hub.

Post contributed by Michael Wallker