Four
by Bloc Party
User Score
7.7

Generally favorable reviews- based on 55 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 45 out of 55
  2. Mixed: 8 out of 55
  3. Negative: 2 out of 55
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  1. Vampire25
    Feb 27, 2013
    8
    Four is a return back to form for Bloc Party. They severely disappointed me with Intimacy, but Four quickly reassured me that Bloc Party learned their lesson from that silly record. There's little to no use of overly-done electronics Intimacy had, and more crunching, melodic guitars. What I really love though are the slower songs. They show maturity in the band and also show a maturity inFour is a return back to form for Bloc Party. They severely disappointed me with Intimacy, but Four quickly reassured me that Bloc Party learned their lesson from that silly record. There's little to no use of overly-done electronics Intimacy had, and more crunching, melodic guitars. What I really love though are the slower songs. They show maturity in the band and also show a maturity in the vocals. All In All, Four is a welcome back for Bloc Party, and I can't wait for what they put out next. B+… Collapse
  2. EmptyFilmStock
    Sep 18, 2012
    9
    The record that should have gone between 'Silent Alarm' and 'A Weekend in the City', this is a return to basics for the band. It is louder and harder than their previous work and has little to none of the over done electronic music Intimacy had. Welcome back Bloc Party.
  3. ghostlight2
    May 24, 2013
    10
    A lot easier to listen to then Intimacy, however seems a little more average/bland than their usual sound. Having said that, there's still really good tunes (Day Four, Leaf Skeleton) and it's markedly better than most of the years other releases. Overall a really solid album, albeit not as diverse and amazing as Silent Alarm of A Weekend in the City.
  4. niallriches
    Mar 31, 2013
    9
    Being a massive Bloc Party fan, the majority of the 9/10 score given comes from bias, admitted.

    However, also being a massive Bloc Party fan means that I am probably the most disappointed listener when something Bloc Party release doesn't quite strike my fancy. When the hiatus occured after Intimacy, all members went their own separate ways, notably Kele Okereke working on a solo    Being a massive Bloc Party fan, the majority of the 9/10 score given comes from bias, admitted.

    However, also being a massive Bloc Party fan means that I am probably the most disappointed listener when something Bloc Party release doesn't quite strike my fancy. When the hiatus occured after Intimacy, all members went their own separate ways, notably Kele Okereke working on a solo project, releasing a solo album, and EP. However, Gordon Moakes (bassist), went to work on a heavy project also featuring members from other bands (The Automatic etc.), Russell Lissack (Lead Guitar), went on tour with Ash, and worked on his side-project Pin Me Down.

    When back in the studio together after hiatus, it seems that Gordon and Russell had the final say, which is what makes the album so unique and brilliant. It would be easy to duplicate the work that Kele was producing on his own, and in doing so, replicate where the majority of the music scene is going, but this is a heavy album. Not for the light-hearted.

    The lyrics centre around the theme of 'hatred', whether it's the dislike of society (We're Not Good People, Kettling), self-hatred (V.A.L.I.S), or hate of people close to you (So He Begins To Lie, Coliseum).

    The standout tracks for me are We're Not Good People, and Day Four. Both polar opposites of the musical spectrum that Bloc Party have travelled through over the years. Day Four takes aspects of the previous 3 Bloc Party albums, but most notably A Weekend In The City. We're Not Good People however, takes an entirely new musical direction with the heavy feel. It shows that as a band, they haven't forgotten their roots, but also are travelling in a new direction. Love it.

    The album didn't get a 10/10 due to the inclusion of one song, V.A.L.I.S just seems to cheesy for my liking. It wouldn't be out of place in a Latvian Eurovision entry. Speaking to a future-self, Kele tells of the things that his younger self used to enjoy, (conspiracy, methyl amphetamines, science), and urges his future self to guide the younger self into the best direction possible. It's a bit like Inception for music.
    A dream inside a dream perhaps not, but a vision inside a vision, perhaps.

    Overall, all other tracks all have something special about them, something that really casts optimism in the mind of music lovers all over the world, not just for Bloc Party's sake, but for the sake of all amateur musicians looking for inspiration in post-noughties music.

    The musicality of Silent Alarm, with the lyrical stories of A Weekend In The City, the heavy-electro aspects of Intimacy (minus the electro), equate to a great fourth album.    … Expand
  5. Ricko
    Aug 12, 2014
    7
    While I do think that "Four" is the most disappointing Bloc Party album to date, this is more down to the quality of what has gone before than the quality of the album itself. I would say about half of the songs on here would be good enough to appear on any of the previous Bloc Party records. While there are no terrible songs here, the other half of the album needs something more andWhile I do think that "Four" is the most disappointing Bloc Party album to date, this is more down to the quality of what has gone before than the quality of the album itself. I would say about half of the songs on here would be good enough to appear on any of the previous Bloc Party records. While there are no terrible songs here, the other half of the album needs something more and perhaps the band should have waited another year or so til they had some more material or had improved the current material before making the record. Bloc Party have always been a band that have pushed Indie Guitar music close to the edge and I've always found them exciting, vibrant and to have great tunes. All those ingredients are present here on "four" but unfortunately much less frequently than in the past. This is all relative of course. If any other band brought this out I'd consider it a fine effort, however I did expect more from this group of very talented musicians and I now wonder whether they will ever produce another album.… Expand

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
68

Generally favorable reviews - based on 34 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 20 out of 34
  2. Mixed: 13 out of 34
  3. Negative: 1 out of 34
  1. No Ripcord
    Sep 6, 2012
    30
    The album suffers some of the worst adjectives any musician can hear: boring, forgettable, and embarrassing.
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  2. Uncut
    Aug 30, 2012
    50
    The songs are assured, strident and catchy, but often fairly cringeworthy too. [Sep 2012, p.73]
  3. Alternative Press
    Aug 29, 2012
    80
    The vicious "We're Not Good People" stuns with a pulsing, near-metal urgency that will lead you to act on your darkest urges - prior to playing the album again. And if you're not stupid, you will. [Sept 2012, p.88]
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