Art-rock was never one for modest gestures. It was always more 6B than 2H, its thick nib boldly tracing the topography of pretension while ever aware of the need for self-restraint lest one topples into twattery. Enter - armed with a large sign reading, "That's us, that is" - London's Bloc Party, an art-rock band whose modus operandi gains momentum with each release. A pristine blast of new wave rabble-rousery, we'd suggest this was their most commercial venture to date if, that is, it wasn't the kiss of death to these kind of beret-topped brainiacs. Frankly, if it doesn't go Top 20, we'll eat the leather-bound thesaurus that we were going to give to singer Kele for his immaculate pronunciation, but decided to keep in the end because we liked it too much.
Sarah Dempster
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