Silent Alarm is the debut studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in Copenhagen and London in mid-2004 and was largely produced by Paul Epworth. It was released on 2 February 2005 in Japan through V2 Records and on 14 February in the British Isles on Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label. The record peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and on the Irish Albums Chart. In the United States, it achieved a peak of number 114 on the Billboard 200 and entered the Billboard Top Independent Albums at number seven.
Bloc Party's goal was to create a record that appealed to followers of different musical genres. The band members built on the work from their debut EPs and aimed to largely focus on rhythm when moulding compositions. Silent Alarm was crafted by chief lyricist Kele Okereke to examine the feelings and hopes of young adults about pertinent issues, including intimate relationships, transition to adulthood, and global politics. These themes are prominent in the three singles: the double A-side "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", "Banquet", and "Pioneers".
Silent Alarm was very well received by critics. Praise often centred on its fast tempo and cathartic delivery. The record was generally treated as showcasing the potential high quality of British music. Later in 2005, it was remixed as Silent Alarm Remixed and was expanded and re-released to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring schedule. The album achieved Platinum status in the UK and has received numerous accolades throughout the music industry since its release, including a nomination for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize.
Origins
In 2003, Bloc Party consisted of guitarists Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack and bassist Gordon Moakes.[1] After drummer Matt Tong auditioned and joined the trio, the band members' songwriting evolved and they started recording tracks for Silent Alarm. Discussing the first demo song "She's Hearing Voices", Okereke has stated that the track "was really just a drum beat, which was something we couldn't do before because we relied on writing songs only with guitars".[2] The demo was followed by the May 2004 release of a double A-side single, "Banquet/Staying Fat", and the distribution of the Bloc Party EP.[3] Gen Williams of Drowned in Sound noted that, at the time, the band played in an unambitious style moulded on alternative rock bands Sonic Youth and The Strokes.[4] Bloc Party persevered and continued the evolution of the songwriting in a hired recording space in Acton, West London.[3]
The band members received a contract offer from Parlophone after successful radio performances,[4] including a session at BBC Radio 1 where "She's Hearing Voices" was labelled "genius" by DJ Steve Lamacq.[5] They declined the offer because they did not want to be on a major record label, and instead signed a recording contract with East London independent label Wichita Recordings.[4] Wichita was chosen because it did not want to stamp its agenda on the record's conception and was the most enthusiastic about Bloc Party's work.[6] Frontman and chief writer Okereke wanted Silent Alarm to emphasise the importance of finding pleasure in small mundane things, because "those are the sort of things that can be incredibly touching". The album was borne out of "a nagging youthful urgency" and the realisation that responsibility has to be taken for the first time as a young adult.[7] Before the recording sessions, Okereke attended singing lessons to open up his voice.[6]
Studio sessions
In June and July 2004, Bloc Party attended studio sessions in London and Copenhagen to complete the recording of Silent Alarm.[8] Most of the music was recorded in the latter location, while vocal overdubbing was done in England.[9] The band members recorded 15 tracks in 22 days;[3] all of the songs were written before they entered the studio, but Okereke has noted that "it is a creative process and you have to let yourself be inspired while you're in the studio as well".[2] The album was produced by Paul Epworth, who had previously worked with The Futureheads.[10] The producer has called the sessions a "growing process", especially because Okereke was not wholly comfortable singing in front of people at the time, and had also had tonsil problems. It took the band three sessions to get acquainted with the way Epworth wanted to work.[9]
There is a real sense of space and atmosphere that you will hear in a techno- house style [but] you will not hear in a three-minute guitar pop song. It is a very difficult thing to try to put the two together without sounding lame. We are excited by it. The two songs "Positive Tension" and "She's Hearing Voices" are examples of what we [were] trying to do. [11]—Kele Okereke, on Bloc Party's goal during the recording of Silent Alarm
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Bloc Party usually had a preliminary idea about a track's rhythm, but did not know how songs were going to start or end. Okereke often asked Tong to play something on the drums, which inspired him to start crafting a track by adding guitar chords to the beat.[2] According to Lissack, the basic idea was to emulate the "optimum audio representation" of songs heard in a club environment by adding guitar lines on top of boosted drum and bass tracks.[12] Preferring live recording takes for better sound authenticity,[9] Epworth's style separates a band's elements by accentuating the bass and by allowing the guitarists space to improvise.[10] The producer meticulously tuned and retuned the components of the drum kit for a specific sound and used ribbon or condenser microphones lined up in an equidistant formation. As the sessions progressed, Bloc Party started experimenting with distortion pedals to add their "chiming, clean guitar sound".[9]
The band members' priority was not to make the songs dance-aligned; rather, they wanted to subvert rock clichés by making them sonically interesting.[13] They believed that 21st-century rock music could only survive if people started "mixing styles that aren't supposed to be together". Okereke has suggested that forward-thinking rock bands like Radiohead reach a plateau and start to question the boundaries of their medium; this leads to an exploration of elements from other genres. Bloc Party set out to explore the idea of merging genres in the debut album, rather than in later work.[11] The record was crafted to appeal to R&B, electro, and pop fans, on top of the band's core indie rock fanbase.[13] Okereke focused closely on the nuances of songs by often changing or amending their "microscopics".[14]
Epworth's bass-oriented production was key to creating a universally appealing album and was also used as a musical background to the lyrics.[15] Okereke has explained that the songs were crafted to balance dark lyrics with uplifting melodies.[11] He called the final version of Silent Alarm "technicolour" due to its stylistic choices and indicated that the band achieved the aim of making the songs sound "better and bigger" when they were recorded.[16][2] Moakes later pointed out that the band members were relative novices when they entered the recording sessions, and that for the most part they only did what they were advised; this is an additional reason why the album is disjunct and not focused on any particular musical style.[15]
Promotion and release
Bloc Party on stage at
Manchester Academy 3 on 29 January 2005 as part of the promotional campaign for
Silent Alarm on the
NME Awards Tour
The release of Silent Alarm was preceded by the marketing of Little Thoughts EP in Japan in December 2004. The EP contained two previous UK singles: the double A-side "Little Thoughts/Tulips", and "Helicopter", which later appeared on the album.[17] Bloc Party commenced promotional touring in January 2005 by performing on the NME Awards Tour throughout the UK.[18] "Tulips" was released from Little Thoughts EP in the U.S. on 25 January 2005.[19] The first single from the record, "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", was released on 31 January and peaked at number five on the UK Singles Chart.[20] Between 31 January and 4 February, the band performed and attended autograph signing sessions at UK HMV stores.[18] Bloc Party achieved exposure largely because of word-of-mouth and favourable press reviews.[21]
Silent Alarm was released on 2 and 14 February 2005, in Japan and Europe respectively.[21] The album's name comes from an article in New Scientist about an early detection system for earthquakes in Japan and was chosen because the record has a sense of disquiet.[13] The cover art is based on a bare winter landscape by freelance photographer Ness Sherry.[8] Bloc Party followed the album's release with a short European promotional tour in early March 2005.[22] Between 17 March and 9 April, they undertook their first headlining U.S. tour to coincide with the American release of Silent Alarm through Vice Records on 22 March. The tour began with performances at the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, and ended in Washington, D.C..[23] The U.S. marketing was geared to establish a long-term fan base among "tastemakers and early-adopter rock enthusiasts", rather than a short-term emphasis on national radio play. At the time, Okereke stated, "All I’m concerned about is playing live shows here to people who want to see us."[21]
Content
Lyrics
Silent Alarm does not contain a solitary lyrical centre; rather, it observes people's lives and is a basic snapshot of the band member's feelings in 2004.[11][24] Okereke wanted the record to leave individual listeners space to make their own conclusions.[24] Much of the songwriting is inspired by the style of confessional poetry authors like Anne Sexton and musicians Thom Yorke and Björk.[25] The lyricist has pointed out that, in general, the album tries to make clear an existential pointlessness in life. With hindsight, he noted themes of "helplessness and weariness" because of the record's focus on how he was feeling between the ages of 18 to 20.[11] Professor John Sutherland has pointed out literary elements, often similar to Sylvia Plath's work, in Okereke's songwriting. Discussing the opening track "Like Eating Glass", he explained, "It strikes me that whoever did the lyrics must have read some of her work. It has the same rather jagged, surprising imagery. It could sit fairly comfortably in a poetry anthology." The recurring line "We've got crosses on our eyes" is inspired by cartoon characters who have crosses on their eyes when they die. Okereke tried to convey what it was like to be in a relationship that was falling apart, "of being completely disorientated", using childhood metaphors.[25]
According to Heather Phares of Allmusic, "Pioneers" and "Price of Gas" exemplify the political undercurrent on Silent Alarm, the latter including the explicit chant "War / War / War / War".[26] "Helicopter" focuses in equal measure on America and its "red states" and on UK apathy and "the people queueing for the McDonald's by [Okereke's] house".[27] "Positive Tension" concerns boredom and its dangers, focusing on how it "can lead you into dark places".[28] The lyrics in the chorus of "She's Hearing Voices", "Red pill / Blue pill / Milk of amnesia", are in reference to the medications a friend of Okereke's took to relieve the symptoms of schizophrenia.[1] The frontman has described the moment when the backing vocals enter the mix before the second chorus in "This Modern Love" as "perfect" because it evokes the idea of "two people on the telephone, who can't touch each other, and as the song and the conversation progress, everything amplifies".[14]
Composition
All the tracks arrangements on Silent Alarm are largely focused on rhythm and the drumming beat. The leading song, "Like Eating Glass", was inspired by a remix of The Smiths' "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" Okereke heard in 2002.[14] Its drum track was deliberately mixed louder than usual to add emphasis to the album's opening.[30] "Helicopter" has a quick tempo of 171 beats per minute, while "Positive Tension" begins with a solitary bassline and builds up pace, first with a rhythmic drumming pattern, and then with a guitar solo towards the end. The second single, "Banquet", involves lead guitar and rhythm guitar playing in syncopation, while "Blue Light" has a slower tempo and a crescendo towards the end.[29] The Bloc Party EP version of "She's Hearing Voices" was reworked to include reverberation and stereo separation of the instrumental parts.[12] "This Modern Love" begins in a minimal fashion with simple vocals before the rhythm section enters the mix and the song intensifies.[14] The track shares the same fast tempo as "Helicopter" despite being a love song.[29]
The second half of Silent Alarm includes more studio effects. The third single, "Pioneers", opens with a series of delayed guitar harmonics on the lead, while "Price of Gas" has a marching-like tempo created by Epworth's looped and layered drum machine pattern.[29] "So Here We Are" is the only song on the album to not include vocal overdubbing.[9] The track contains layered guitar and is followed by "Luno", a song which begins with thirty-two bars of bass guitar and drums on their own. "Plans" has a slower tempo and uses effects such as flanging and a synthesiser during the chorus. The final track on the original record release, "Compliments", incorporates an electronic drum kit and the use of reverberation throughout.[29]
Reception
Commercial
Silent Alarm entered the UK Albums Chart and the Irish Albums Chart at number three.[20][31] The album achieved Gold certification within 24 hours of its European release.[32] 350,000 copies were shipped worldwide by the first week of March 2005; 20,000 of these were sent to America, double the record labels' January forecast.[21] In the U.S., the record entered the Billboard 200 at number 114 and the Billboard Top Independent Albums at number seven.[33] With little radio support, it became the best-selling release in Vice's history as a label.[34] It was listed at number 75 on the end-of-year UK Album Chart for 2005 and was certified Platinum by the British Phonographic Industry after more than 500,000 copies were sold in the UK.[34][35] According to Nielsen SoundScan, the album sold 280,000 copies in the U.S. by January 2007.[36] More than one million copies have been sold worldwide.[37]
Critical
Media response to Silent Alarm was highly favourable; aggregating website Metacritic reports a normalised rating of 82% based on 32 critical reviews.[45] Drowned in Sound's Gen Williams described the album as mature and expansive, and noted how "the autonomy, creativity and sheer, elastic beauty that spans this debut more than justifies the rapidly accelerating hype that Bloc Party are currently generating".[4] Barry Walters of Rolling Stone explained that the tracks are emotive and rhythmic in equal measure and summed the record up as "dance rock, but highly caffeinated".[42] Nick Southall of Stylus gave the album a maximum rating of A+ by indicating that every song is full of thrilling ideas and inspired moments.[43]
Johnny Davis of Q labelled Silent Alarm as "an arty, confident and exhilirating debut",[41] while Joshua Glazer of URB compared Bloc Party to "every legendary band ever who followed an EP with an even better album and on into greatness".[44] The Guardian's Alexis Petridis gave the record three stars out of five, one of the lowest ratings that it received from notable publications, and commented that the "reedy vocals and lyrical evocations of suburban ennui ... induce a worrying ennui of their own".[38] Heather Phares of Allmusic stated that it is not perfect but gave a favourable rating because of its "passion and polish".[26]
Walters claimed that the album is similar to the debut album from fellow British band Franz Ferdinand.[42] Pitchfork Media's Nitsuh Adebe noted particular similarities between "Banquet" and Franz Ferdinand's debut single "Take Me Out" and called both songs "wonderfully tight and energetic—the same kind of spiffy half-dancing rock".[16] Phares suggested that Bloc Party are more comfortable making lyrical proclamations than their contemporaries Franz Ferdinand or The Futureheads.[26] Imran Ahmed of NME concluded: "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."[39]
Tours and supporting releases
Silent Alarm charted in eighteen countries on four continents by the end of April 2005.[11] Bloc Party toured in Japan with The Rakes at the start of May and completed a promotional headlining tour of the U.S. in June.[46][47] The band members played their first concerts in Australia in July, including a performance at the Splendour in the Grass Festival.[48][49] The whole of August was spent touring on the European festivals circuit to promote the remix album, Silent Alarm Remixed, which includes reworked versions of all the tracks on Silent Alarm by artists such as Ladytron, Death From Above 1979, and Nick Zinner from Yeah Yeah Yeahs.[48][50] The record was released on 29 August 2005 in anticipation of a final UK single, "Two More Years", and the UK re-release of Silent Alarm in October.[50][51] It followed Bloc Party's headlining slots at the Reading and Leeds Festivals on 26–28 August;[48] the Reading concert was later released as a digital download.[52]
Bloc Party in concert at
The Warfield, San Francisco, on 21 September 2005
The band members embarked on their second major worldwide tour in September 2005.[53] They played several dates in North America between 8 and 24 September.[53] Another headlining UK tour followed during the whole of October;[48] it started at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange and ended with two dates at the Brixton Academy in London.[53] Silent Alarm was re-released in the UK on 17 October 2005 with two bonus tracks: "Little Thoughts" and "Two More Years".[51] It contained a bonus DVD, God Bless Bloc Party, which included Bloc Party's two June performances and backstage footage at the El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles. Dan McIntosh of PopMatters stated that the concert documentary shows the band "can consistently pull off its material live", but concluded that it focuses on Bloc Party "much too intently, far too soon".[54]
Accolades
Silent Alarm was nominated for the 2005 Mercury Music Prize, but was beaten by Antony and the Johnsons' second album I Am a Bird Now.[55] It was shortlisted for the New Pantheon Music Award (Shortlist Music Prize) in 2005, but lost to Sufjan Stevens' fifth album Illinois.[56] The record was named Album Of The Year for 2005 by NME ahead of Arcade Fire's debut album Funeral,[57] while URB included it in its unnumbered shortlist of the best albums of 2005. It figured highly in other end-of-year best album lists, notably, at number two by Stylus, at number three by Lost at Sea, at number four by Drowned in Sound, at number six by Spin, and at number seven by Metacritic's chief editor.[58] It was named Album Of The Year for 2005 by Intro in Germany and by Rumore in Italy.[59][60] Ireland's Hot Press and Poland's Screenagers placed it at number two in their respective editorial staff lists.[61][62]
Silent Alarm earned Bloc Party several award nominations, including Best Alternative Act at the 2005 MTV Europe Music Awards,[63] Best British Band at the 2006 NME Awards,[64] and Artist Of The Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards. The record itself won Indie Rock Album Of The Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards.[65] It was also nominated as Best Album at the 2006 NME Awards,[64] and as Album Of The Year at the 2006 PLUG Awards.[65] NME placed it at number 55 in its 100 Greatest British Albums Ever! list compiled in 2006.[66] The record came in at number three in Drowned in Sound's editorial staff list of their 66 favourite albums of 2000–2006.[67] In 2009, Clash placed Silent Alarm at number 11 in its list of the 50 Greatest Albums of 2004–2009.[37] The same year, Pitchfork Media named it at number 156 in its editorial staff list of The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s,[68] while NME included it at number 38 in the list of The Top 100 Greatest Albums Of The Decade decided by the publication's staff and music industry members.[69]
Track listing
All songs written and composed by Bloc Party.
- Tracks 8 and 9 were mislabelled on pressings of the album as "The Pioneers" and "Price of Gasoline" due to a printing error.[70]
Bonus tracks
- "Every Time Is the Last Time" – 3:10 – track 0 (pregap) on the UK and U.S. editions and after track 13 on the European edition
- "Little Thoughts" – 3:30 – track 10 on the U.S. edition and track 14 on the UK re-release
- "Two More Years" – 4:28 – track 15 on the UK re-release
- "So Here We Are (Four Tet Remix)" – 6:28 – track 14 on the Japanese edition
- "Plans (Mogwai Remix)" – 3:43 – track 15 on the Japanese edition
- "Pioneers (M83 Remix)" / "Every Time Is the Last Time" – 14:09 – track 16 on the Japanese edition
Additional formats
Vinyl
- There were two UK LP copies of Silent Alarm distributed by Wichita: a standard black vinyl copy in a gatefold sleeve,[71] and a limited edition picture disc version which has the album cover printed on Side A and the track listing printed on Side B.[72]
- The U.S. LP issue was distributed by Dim Mak Records.[73] It comprises two limited edition 12" records which additionally contain a track listing for "Every Time Is the Last Time" on Side A, the appearance of "Little Thoughts" on Side C, and four bonus remix tracks—two of "Positive Tension" and two of "Price of Gas"—on Sides E and F.
DVD
- A CD with an extra DVD was released in the UK and Europe in February 2005 at the same time as the normal CD version.[74] The DVD contains live footage of the band at Heaven nightclub in London.
- A new version of the CD with an extra DVD was released in the UK in October 2005.[75] The DVD, titled God Bless Bloc Party, contains a U.S. tour documentary at the El Rey Theatre, Los Angeles, live footage of the band at the 2005 Eurockéennes Festival in Belfort, France, and nine music videos from Bloc Party's career.
- God Bless Bloc Party was released as a stand-alone DVD in the U.S. on 17 January 2006 by Vice, but did not include the music videos.[54]
Personnel
[8]
|
Band
|
Production
Artwork
- Ness Sherry – cover photograph
- Paul Epworth – photography (except Russell and Copenhagen)
- Matt Tong – photography (Russell and Copenhagen)
|
Release history
| Region |
Date |
Label |
Format(s) |
Catalog |
| Japan |
2 February 2005 |
V2 Records |
CD |
V2CP-205[76] |
| United Kingdom and Ireland |
14 February 2005 |
Wichita Recordings |
CD, digital download, CD+DVD, LP |
WEBB075[8] |
| Europe |
V2 Records |
CD, CD+DVD |
VVR1030562[74] |
| United States |
22 March 2005 |
Vice Records |
CD, digital download |
VICE 93815[77] |
| 12 April 2005 |
Dim Mak Records |
LP |
DM080[73] |
| United Kingdom and Ireland |
17 October 2005 |
Wichita Recordings |
CD+DVD (new edition) |
WEBB075B[75] |
Chart positions
|
Album
|
Singles
"—" denotes releases that did not chart.
"X" denotes song not released in a particular country or ineligible for a particular chart.
|
References
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- ^ "Silent Alarm UK LP". Esprit International. http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=315866. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
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- ^ a b "Silent Alarm USA Double LP". Esprit International. http://eil.com/shop/moreinfo.asp?catalogid=324176. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
- ^ a b (2005) Album notes for Silent Alarm by Bloc Party [CD+DVD case back cover]. London: V2 Records.
- ^ a b (2005) Album notes for Silent Alarm [Deluxe Edition] by Bloc Party [CD+DVD case back cover]. London: Wichita Recordings.
- ^ a b (Japanese) "サイレント・アラーム : ブロック・パーティー (Silent Alarm: Bloc Party)". Oricon. http://ranking.oricon.co.jp/free_contents/search/detail.asp?itemcd=578738&samecd=1. Retrieved 20 June 2009.
- ^ (2005) Album notes for Silent Alarm by Bloc Party [CD case back cover]. New York City: Vice Records.
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