moments

Moments: A Review of “A Weekend in the City” by Bloc Party.

I spent my formative teenage years in the prairies: small towns, small-minded people and an even smaller tolerance for anything moving in a new or different direction. I found myself longing for city life, and all the adventurous, romantic folly that came along with it. I found that one of the only ways to escape the boredom of my small town existence was through a mixtape that I called “Big City Nights” (taken from perhaps the greatest music video these eyes have ever seen). DJ Shadow, (Entroducing….is still the greatest night time driving album ever made) My Bloody Valentine, and even Jay-Z (cut me some slack, I was young) graced my headphones as I laid back in quiet, street light bliss. If “A Weekend in the City”, the latest release by the London based band Bloc Party, had been released during my Grade 12 year, I could guarantee you it would have found a place on that mix. Not only does “A Weekend in the City” give you that long exposure, city street image in your mind (the album art by Rut Blees Luxemburg helps), but it poses a lot of ideas about the state of our generation.

There’s something special about this record, something that sets it apart from the average modern rock album. Kele Okereke, the band’s singer and lyricist, has written one of the most important statements of the 2000s. Every song seems to speak about something that our culture seems to blindly accept, not realizing the effects. “Our parents suffered for nothing”, “the 90’s/optimistic as a teen/now it’s terror/and plane’s crash into towers” or “I have decided/that at 25/something must change” are just small examples of how rather than succumbing to write songs about typical boy loves girl situation, Okereke would rather take a look at what’s going on with society. Another dominant theme on the record is Kele’s longing for change, which is culminated in one of the best tracks on the record, “Kreuzberg”. As great as it is to see a band trying to say something different, the really beautiful thing about this record is the music. Everything screams “massive”, just as their debut “Silent Alarm” did. Matt Tong’s drumming is still incredibly tight and huge, and the production is, once again, second to none. Try to not tap your foot to “Hunting for Witches”, or to nod your head to “I Still Remember” or to flat our shake your butt to “The Prayer”. Of course, because of its danceable nature, this record is definitely a mood record: It can make you look around your surroundings, and long to make a change in the mundane; it can make you dance harder than you could have ever imagined; it can be the record you put on as you fall asleep after a late night of adventures with friends. It has everything a good record needs, and because of that, it can cover any range of emotion you might be feeling.

I think the most important part of this record is summed up in the chorus of “Waiting for the 7:18”: “Just give me moments/not hours or days”. People are going to criticize this record to death: it’s too produced, it’s not as good or as poignant as their last record. I’m trying not to be a cynic, and this record demands a person to look at it with open eyes. This record is a statement for the moment we’re in, whether our generation wants to accept it or not. We buy too much, we drink too much and we waste far too much time on “crosswords and sudokus”. Bloc Party are just four guys looking for a home, discontent with city life, and I think that longing for home is all too familiar with every twenty-something.

What are we going to do about it?

Bloc Party on Myspace

january is endless.

january mix.

1. bloc party - waiting for the 7:18
2. st. vincent - these days
3. page france - up
4. radiohead - where i end, and you begin
5. the mountain goats - woke up new
6. joanna newsom - swansea
7. the knife - silent shout
8. rachel's - kentucky nocturne
9. tv on the radio - hours
10. the dears - there goes my outfit
11. whitest boy alive - burning
12. math and physics club - darling, please come home
13. phoenix - long distance call
14. deerhoof - +81
15. camera obscura - if looks could kill
16. mates of state - fluke
17. beck - soldier jane
18. copeland - cover what you can
19. brand new - sowing season
20. the smiths - heaven knows i'm miserable now

back to the 101.

beautiful day isn't it?

in a defiant act of grandiose protest, dripping in rebellion, ms. shaina and i have decided to stick it to the man, and not use msn or myspace...for a week. we're starting small. all jokes aside, it's actually a pretty interesting act of self control. i mean, msn is my answering machine, and i keep up most of my relationships through comments on myspace. that's pretty sad, you gotta admit. thankfully, i've still got my blog to live vicariously through. remember folks, there is a real human being behind these words. i'm not some internet entity like tom, or...golimar.

so today, i got a little more in touch with nature, and i went for a lovely stroll around the countryside, and that's really what it is. there are mountains surrounding the whole place, but there's so much flat farmland, giving it that rolling manitoba feel. oh, for those of you reading from flatter, colder areas, BC is really the place to be. no lie. today, on the fourth day of january, i threw on a sweater and a coat, and walked around (outside) for an extended period of time, without the fear of frostbite or getting eaten by an abominable snowman. for real though, it was beautiful out today, and i was thinking of bringing my camera, but i didn't. but tomorrow, i'll do the honor of bringing some beauty into your life, courtesy of the fraser valley countryside.

let's get to some musics. i found a lovely new host, so we're back on track with mp3s!

aidan knight



aidan's voice fits so well with his style of music, and his style of music is an original blend of folk, blues and country. that laid back acoustic feel is perfect, and not in that cheezy jack johnson way, but in that soft, nick drake kind of way. expect something big from aidan, whether solo, or with one of the many bands that he plays in.

MP3: Aidan Knight - Pickpocket

the reverb-soaked electric guitar makes this song. i mean, everything about the song is great, but man, that guitar. it stays in your head. so get prepared for that.

you can download a bunch of aidan's stuff on his myspace too. i'll support myspace for that, but that's it! well, maybe listen to andy shauf on myspace too. BUT THAT's IT!

Aidan Knight on Myspace

have a good night you all!
Jamison.