Bloc Party – Intimacy

Bloc Party’s third album titled “Intimacy” was released online today ( 21st August, 2008 ) following a growing trend of a number acts (Radiohead, NIN, Raconteures, Girl Talk, etc).

The single “Mercury” took a large leap away from the indie rock sounds of first album Silent Alarm and fell into an experimental electronic heap. The first track seems to follow this trend, but by the third track “Halo”, Bloc Party seem to have settled back into their roots. Unfortunately this doesn’t last long, as electronic sounds start creeping back into a larger part of the mix. This continues throughout the album, with small parts grabbing at your memory and your wonder of what could have been.

Some of the new sounds of Bloc Party are indeed good. Songs like “One Month Off” and “Biko” make you understand where they wanted to head, but somehow never fully arrived. Fans wanting more of Silent Alarm will be mostly disappointed, while fans of Another Weekend In The City will be stretched. Suggested by its title, this promise of Intimacy with the beautiful Bloc Party is there, but at the end of it all, you find yourself with its ugly, coked up cousin.

Highlights include: Halo, Signs and Ion Square.

MP3: “Halo” – Bloc Party

Girl Talk – Feed the Animals

Feed the Animals, the new release by Girl Talk, contains so many samples, it boggles the mind to think how you could begin a project like this. Containing samples from countless artists, all shoved into a seemless album going from one catchy sample to the next. Combining new songs with well selected nostalgiac riffs and placing them perfectly ontop of eachother.

Due to the fact that this album contains so many current hits, Girl Talk literally finished the album less than a fortnight ago (June 10, 2008), quickly going into mastering, before being released solely on the internet to download for free. Taking the same tact as Radiohead and NIN, this is bound to create some PR for Girl Talk, who gained more widespread awareness with his 2006 release, Night Ripper.

What is meant to be listened to in one single sitting, all the songs blend into the next, and can appropriately be downloaded (legally off Girl Talk’s website) as one mp3 for $5. A cut up version can also be downloaded for free off the site, and with gapless playback enabled, provides the same experience.

This is surely one album you can put on at a party and be sure that everybody will at least know one sample in a minute block. If they dont, they have been living under a rock for the past 45 years.

Highlights include: What It’s All About, Play Your Part (Pt. 1) and Set It Off.

MP3: “What It’s All About” – Girl Talk