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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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Silent Alarm
by Bloc Party
This multiculti London four-piece (making their full-length debut with 'Silent Alarm') has been heralded in seemingly every music magazine in the world as 2005's answer to Franz Ferdinand.
| LABEL: |
Atlantic / Wichita / V2 |
| RELEASE DATE: |
22 March 2005 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
NOTES: Shortlisted for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize.
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...
100
Stylus Magazine
There are thirteen tracks here spread over 50 minutes, but not once does the quality or pace dip below thrilling. Every track is bursting with ideas and inspired moments.
100
Urb
Silent Alarm doesn't just maintain Bloc Party's post-dance-punk appeal, it blows the fucking lid off. [Apr 2005, p.100]
91
Entertainment Weekly
A post-punk mishmash of angular guitars, pulsating bass, and tricky time signatures. [8 Apr 2005, p.64]
90
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It may fit neatly with the now-sound, but Bloc Party's debut album, Silent Alarm, feels more like a modern-day dance-punk standard-bearer than a second-stringer or also-ran.
90
Splendid
Unlike so many of their Gang of Four-worshipping peers, Bloc Party are that rare band that can actually transcend their influences and press clippings, crushing the fervor surrounding their arrival in a hail of splintered guitars and sumptuous despondency.
90
Delusions of Adequacy
What is truly magical on Silent Alarm is how it astutely grafts the accoutrements of wiry post-punk austerity to pop hooks fortified with soulful melodic intent.
90
New Musical Express
'Silent Alarm' is no 'Franz Ferdinand'. In fact, listen to it with the words 'popular' and 'arty' in mind and its spirit is closer to the Manic Street Preachers' 'The Holy Bible'. [5 Feb 2005, p.49]
90
No Ripcord
Sensitive enough to charm you, yet with songs hard enough and strong enough to keep you from getting bored, Silent Alarm is already a strong contender for debut album of the year.
90
Drowned In Sound
Silent Alarm's not 100% filler-free - the forgettable 'So Here We Are' could have slipped out the back with little protest - but the autonomy, creativity and sheer, elastic beauty that spans this debut more than justifies the rapidly accelerating hype that Bloc Party are currently generating.
89
Pitchfork
This is a solid, intelligent album that a lot of people will love-- one that'll slot onto indie-crossover CD racks right beside the debuts from Interpol, Franz Ferdinand, and the Futureheads.
86
Filter
Hip-shakingly good. [#14, p.98]
85
Lost At Sea
There is little doubt that Silent Alarm is stellar, worthy of the praise it has received.
83
E! Online
What sets Silent Alarm apart, however, is the presence of singer Kele Okereke, who has a dazzlingly elastic voice like the Cure's Robert Smith.
80
Billboard
Consider "Silent Alarm" to be one of the best debuts of 2005 so far.
80
Village Voice
Bloc Party borrow the soaring melodic guitar lines of Television and sinuous noodling of New Order and the Cure to add a lushness that makes these songs sonically beautiful as well as rhythmically aggressive.
80
Trouser Press
Bloc Party may not have arrived first in the retro-'80’s sweepstakes, but this great album stakes their belated claim to it.
80
Paste Magazine
Draws as much from Madness as Joy Division. [Apr/May 2005, p.131]
80
Rolling Stone
Silent Alarm is dance rock, but highly caffeinated.
80
Playlouder
'Silent Alarm' is a brilliantly accomplished art rock record that immediately immerses you in a world of taut, late 80s post-punk, melodic indie. It rarely lets up.
80
Q Magazine
An arty, confident and exhilarating debut. It's everything pop music should be. [Mar 2005, p.94]
78
cokemachineglow
Removing the formulae and sensual stimuli from the Party leaves little that’s substantive or innovative. Even the most cursory of examinations would show the group to be an “it” band and not much else. However, Bloc Party’s absurdly good at being an “it” on Silent Alarm.
75
Los Angeles Times
"Silent Alarm" sometimes lapses into facelessness, but at its best it combines dynamic record-making and underlying passion with a rare focus. [10 Apr 2005]
70
Under The Radar
What's most surprising is not how audaciously full of formula the album is, but how compelling the album is despite its lack of surprises or innovation. [#9]
70
All Music Guide
Although it wouldn't hurt if there were more "party" (the celebratory kind, not the political one) in Silent Alarm, it's still a fine debut album with a lot of passion and polish; it's hard not to respect, if not fully embrace, the intensity and integrity of Bloc Party's music.
70
Mojo
Ambitious in scope and abundantly stocked with viral melody, Silent Alarm is hugely impressive--flawed certainly... but nonetheless blessed with outbreaks of great flair. [Mar 2005, p.100]
70
Uncut
Silent Alarm's innovation, sense of urgency and sleek production are enough to comfortably elevate Bloc Party above the post-punk rabble. [Mar 2005, p.106]
70
PopMatters
Only briefly and intermittently does Silent Alarm play it safe (the unspectacular tracks "Plans", "Blue Light", and single "Banquet"), but its engaging flow is never derailed.
68
ShakingThrough.net
Bloc Party will almost certainly find success. Based on Silent Alarm, however, it won't be as innovators or firebrands, but as purveyors of familiar hooks, passionately delivered and smartly promoted.
60
The Guardian
There's none of Franz Ferdinand's sexiness, funk or swagger here, nor an undeniable hit along the lines of Take Me Out.
60
Blender
Occasional flashes of brilliance transcend the deja-vu pastiche. [Apr 2005, p.113]
60
Alternative Press
The results are hit-or-miss. [May 2005, p.132]
50
Dot Music
Many of the tracks (including "Positive Tension" and "This Modern Love") are so choppy and discontinuous as to give you the same nauseous feeling you get when you hear a Mars Volta record.
The average user rating for this album is 8.8 (out of 10) based on 158 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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