Bloc Party: A Weekend in the City

CML call number: CD ROCK Bloc
Kelefa Sanneh wrote in the New York Times: "[T]he second of two sold-out appearances by Bloc Party … was the first of an impressive series of shows at United Palace. … [Kele] Okereke and his bandmates were here to celebrate 'A Weekend in the City' … their gloomy but spirited second album. It’s hard to be optimistic about a CD, or a concert, that begins with the line, 'I am trying to be heroic in an age of modernity.' On Saturday night the mood improved when the band came crashing in, which is exactly what happens on the CD. … 'A Weekend in the City' often sags under the weight of Mr. Okereke’s sighing: 'We’re so handsome and we’re so bored/So entertain us,' he moans. (Smells like teen dispiritedness.) In some ways it feels like a paradigmatic second album. … But it has its moments, especially 'I Still Remember,' a tantalizing account of a gay romance that never quite happens. And on Saturday night the members proved that their greatest asset is antsiness. Matt Tong, the drummer, plays fast but glitchy, so that the rhythm never stays steady; even the slower songs were all herky-jerky" ("Post-Punk Makes Home in the Palace," 4/2/07).