Bloc Party - "So Here We Are"I know that this is an atrociously lazy perspective and I'll probably regret spewing this forward, but I find most hype bands these days tend to fall in one of two categories. There are those that become so fixated on sounding clever and unique it becomes a point of distraction and the bottom falls out. Then there are those that have perfected the art of nondescription to such a level that nobody can actually figure out if they're any good or not. Nobody seems able to find the middle ground and just sit down and write a pretty guitar song in a way that sounds fresh, minus all the unnecessary bells and whistles. The few who try usually end up failing miserably (ahem, Coldplay...yes, the potshots never stop). End useless rant.
So all that was solely a way for me to justify my enthusiasm for this Bloc Party song, when really, all it accomplishes is sounding pretty. And I fully admit to getting swept up in the sentimentality of it. I like how patiently the song progresses, how steady the sound is throughout, until they reach the climax, where there's that sudden, though not entirely dramatic, upward shift in dynamics and busyness. It's quite the opposite of "rocking out" and serves to keep all the emotion internalized, taking you from a state of appreciative placidity to one of not-quite-but-near release, more of an emotional swelling or pleasant burn. I can't really pinpoint if it makes me feel joy or sadness or what, perhaps it's more of a warm aesthetic admiration. I'll just say it gives me the sort of glow inside that only pop music has seemed to offer these past few years, and for that, I offer these guys a pat on the back.
