Bloc Party 
Four
(Frenchkiss Records)

Four carries the weight of Silent Alarm (the band’s first album), much like their second and third albums did. And while Weekend in the City (#2) and Intimacy (#3) were mostly forgettable, Four sees the band more deeply developing their sound. With the rumor of Kele Okereke, the lead singer, getting kicked out of the band being apparently just a rumor, the band went all out to produce a cohesive album, with driving guitars, a bass that is present throughout and makes the punk rock songs danceable and sexy, and Okereke’s vocals distinct.

“So He Begins to Lie” opens the album with a chunky guitar riff and vocals that build up to falsetto. The guitar never entirely goes away, and nearly becomes repetitive, but then suddenly is a cacophony of shredding. What the tone is, of this song and what it establishes, is an indie album with full emphasis on the guitar. This happens in straightforward distorted guitar banging, punk rock repetitive riff rhythm, and slowly build up. Every song starts with the almost formulaic guitar-heavy handedness c.f. “So He Begins to Lie,” “3