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Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed albums.
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A Weekend In The City
by Bloc Party
Kele Okereke & co. try to avoid the sophomore slump with this highly-anticipated follow-up to their acclaimed debut 'Silent Alarm.'
| LABEL: |
Vice |
| RELEASE DATE: |
06 February 2007 |
| DISCS: |
1 disc |
| GENRE(S): |
Indie, Rock |
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
The Onion (A.V. Club)
It's smart, strange, just different enough from its predecessor, and, eventually, absolutely stunning.
90
Drowned In Sound
A Weekend In The City is the aural adaptation, a digital manifestation, of what it’s like to be a twenty-something in Britain, today. It’s dirty, dishevelled, unsure and paranoid; fearful, easily distracted, boisterous and ashamed; reckless, wild, nervous and terrified; graceful, thought-provoking, clumsy and contradictory. And it’s very nearly perfect.
90
musicOMH.com
How good is A Weekend In The City? At times, it's brilliant: bold, forthright and honest.
85
Lost At Sea
A Weekend in the City showcases what all the band's initial buzz was about, but twists and filters what might have been expected, leaving them open to praise for different reasons.
80
New Musical Express
The real achievement of 'A Weekend In The City' is its path to this conclusion, pulling hard-won moments of contentment from a maelstrom of anger and confusion.
80
All Music Guide
This album isn't as brash or immediate as the band's earlier work, but its gradual move from alienation to connection and hope is just as bold as Silent Alarm, and possibly even more resonant.
80
Under The Radar
It's a given that some people will miss the raucous Bloc Party, but there are enough in-your-face moments and hidden gems to keep A Weekend In The City on regular rotation. [#16, p.90]
75
Pitchfork
When A Weekend in the City comes bursting out at you with a gaggle of second-album upgrades-- new tricks, new scope, new arrangements-- the bulk of them sound like good ideas: They've been executed by hard-working professionals.
70
Urb
A post-electronica, post-rave production that jettisons genres and cherishes uncut creativity. [Jan/Feb 2007, p.77]
70
Vibe
On Weekend, the group's clearly into its '90s phase, and enjoying it. [Feb 2007, p.124]
70
Blender
At Bloc Party’s best, music and message collide with astounding force.
67
Entertainment Weekly
Too often, the music on A Weekend in the City is less memorable than the ambitious subject matter.
60
The Guardian
There's barely a song that isn't kneecapped by one of Okereke's lyrical clangers.
60
The New York Times
Claustrophobic with multitracked vocals and baroque effects, the album lacks the wiry catchiness of hits like “Banquet.” [5 Feb 2007]
60
Observer Music Monthly
Those hoping to be converted are likely still to doubt the 'voice of a generation' tag.
60
Spin
Not since U2 built an Atomic Bomb has one band tried so hard to turn each track into a breahless epic. [Feb 2007, p.84]
60
NOW Magazine
Too often Bloc Party aim for an overly expansive epic Coldplay quality that compromises the focus of their songwriting.
60
Dot Music
The psychic bruising Okereke has sustained playing the East London fame game during the past 12 months has produced self-pitying lyrics that frequently state the bleeding obvious.
60
Mojo
The album's substantial rewards lie in the unorthodox rhythms of drummer Matt Tong. [Mar 2007, p.102]
60
Uncut
For an album that strives to articulate the youthful pleasure-rush of love, drugs, and power, this is a worryingly pedestrian effort. [Mar 2007, p.75]
60
Q Magazine
An album of palatable Radio 1-friendly alt-rock. [Mar 2007, p.110]
58
Stylus Magazine
The second half of the album falls into a malaise as tempos slow and arrangements become more orthodox, placing Bloc Party closer to Coldplay than one would have thought possible two years ago.
50
Playlouder
'A Weekend In The City'... fails because it tells us nothing new.
50
Austin Chronicle
This young band has something fresh to say, which softens the letdown that their late attempt at post-punk heroism falls short.
50
Alternative Press
They play things way too safe... which makes for a rather boring listening experience. [Mar 2007, p.142]
50
Rolling Stone
Though the new bunch [of songs] are sharply executed, they cry out for killer choruses now that they're not just outcries of generational frustration. [8 Feb 2007, p.70]
45
Prefix Magazine
A Weekend in the City borders on emo in its wordy self-obsession, so even though the record is actually more sonically adventurous than its predecessor, it seems like a massive step backward.
41
cokemachineglow
Okereke now sings instead of barking, and, well, oops on him.
40
Tiny Mix Tapes
It’s a difficult album to love, or even like. But, for all its faults — and there are many — there is enough here to make one think that maybe, just maybe, Bloc Party are capable of making, with their third LP, the kind of challenging yet highly accessible pop album they think they’ve made here.
40
PopMatters
The direction in which Bloc Party has traveled is entirely unsuited to its strengths.
The average user rating for this album is 6.2 (out of 10) based on 258 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
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