Hymns | ||||
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Released | 29 January 2016 | |||
Recorded | March – August 2015 | |||
Studio | Lynchmob Studios (London, England) | |||
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Singles from Hymns | ||||
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Hymns is the fifth studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released worldwide in January 2016 on BMG. The album was recorded between March and August 2015 at Lynchmob Studios in London, following a hiatus during which Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes departed the band. [1] It is the first album to feature new band member Justin Harris on bass and keyboards. The songs "The Love Within", "The Good News", and "Virtue" were released as singles.
Musically, Hymns was inspired by many sources including rhythm and blues and gospel. It focuses more on electronic music compared to the album's predecessor, Four (2012), which featured a return to Bloc Party's rock style after experimentation with electronic music on their third studio album, Intimacy (2008). Upon release, the album received generally mixed reviews from critics; reviewers focused on the "subdued" nature of the album, with others noting the more spiritual themes in its lyrics.
During the band's 2013 summer tour, drummer Matt Tong left the band. [2] Lissack told Canadian newspaper the National Post that the band were planning to take an indefinite hiatus following their appearance at the Latitude Festival on 19 July 2013. [3] [4] That October, Kele assembled a DJ Mix for !K7's Tapes mix series, released under the Bloc Party name. [5] In September 2014, Okereke stated that Bloc Party were working on a fifth album. [6] In March 2015, bassist Gordon Moakes tweeted he had parted ways with Bloc Party. [7]
Bloc Party unveiled their new line-up at two intimate gigs in the Los Angeles area during August 2015, and following these performances, subheadlined FYF Fest. [8] At these shows, the band confirmed that they had finished recording their next album. The shows marked the live debut for two new band members: bassist Justin Harris of Portland indie rock outfit Menomena, who had previously opened several Bloc Party US tour dates in April 2009; [9] [10] and otherwise-unknown drummer Louise Bartle. These shows also included the first performances of three new songs—"Eden", "Exes" and "The Good News"—two of which would ultimately end up on Hymns. [11] [12] [13]
In a performance at Maida Vale, Bloc Party performed "The Good News" and "Exes"; hours later, "The Love Within" was featured as "Hottest Record in the World" by Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1. Okereke revealed the album's title as Hymns. [14] [15] [16] The album's release was later confirmed on social media as being 29 January 2016. [17] The album was produced by Tim Bran and Roy Kerr, and mixed by David Wrench. [18] [ better source needed ] According to Lissack, the album's recording "was all done in a studio in north-west London, which was next to a gigantic graveyard". [19]
I'm a big fan of synths but I didn't play any on this record. Pushing my pedal board to the limit!
Lead guitarist Lissack confirming he used his instrument to create non-rock sounds, [20]
Hymns is aligned with the alternative dance and electronic music influences demonstrated in Okereke's solo material and the music Lissack and he had listened to since making Four . [21] In addition, according to the band members and affirmed by DJ John Kennedy during a track by track rundown, it also shows their indie rock side but a "more stripped back" version informed by different subgenres than previously, including blues rock and gospel rock. [22] According to critic Mark Beaumont, Lissack's guitar work is often reminiscent of shoegaze, [23] a new style for him which is typified by significant use of distortion, feedback and the blurring of parts into indistinguishable "walls of sound". [24]
Hymns is inspired by various sources, including the albums Spirit of Eden by Talk Talk and A Love Supreme by John Coltrane, as well as Donna Summer's R&B song "State of Independence" and The Consolers' gospel track "May the Work I’ve Done Speak for Me." The Songs of Innocence and of Experience illustrated poems by William Blake, especially "Laughing Song", provided inspiration for the lyrics. Okereke visited his parents' house prior to recording and found various hymns and religious memorabilia from his youth and used these to make a spiritual, meditative album. For example, "Only He Can Heal Me" is reflective of the Hebrew music hymn "Shalom Chaverin". [25] Okereke also learned to play the electric piano for the album, specifically on "So Real", while new member Harris provided a wider range of playing as a multi-instrumentalist. [1]
Aggregate scores | |
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Source | Rating |
Metacritic | 55/100 [26] |
Review scores | |
Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [27] |
Drowned in Sound | 3/10 [28] |
Entertainment Weekly | A− [26] |
Mojo | [26] |
NME | [23] |
The Guardian | [29] |
Pitchfork | 5.0/10 [30] |
Q | [26] |
The Skinny | [31] |
Under the Radar | 4/10 [26] |
Hymns received mixed reviews from critics. While several criticised the album's subdued nature in comparison to earlier albums, others viewed the album as one of the strongest of the band's career. On Metacritic, the album holds an average critic score of 55/100 based on 29 reviews indicating mixed reviews. [26]
In a positive review, NME stated that "Hymns finds a fully-in-control Okereke, still tangled in the electronics of his solo albums fusing with Russell Lissack’s spectral shoegaze guitars to steer one of the century’s most pioneering underground bands into more mature and absorbing, if murkier, waters. A bewitching new Bloc Party has risen from the grave. Praise be." [23] Giving the album a 4/5 score, The Guardian stated that "There’s a clue to Bloc Party’s radical new direction in the album title: lyrically, Hymns is a turn for the more spiritual. Out goes the angst; in come song titles such as 'Only He Can Heal Me' and an evangelical joyousness on the likes of 'The Good News' (although frontman Kele Okereke has denied the new material is explicitly religious). There is a parallel shift musically too. “Rock’n’roll has got so old/ Just give me neo-soul,” sings Okereke on 'Into the Earth', which is a fair description of the direction of travel. Where once Russell Lissack's stinging guitar defined their sound, it now caresses, complementing his bandmates rather than fighting them. It's a brave and successful reinvention." [29]
Drowned In Sound gave the album a negative review, "Bloc Party’s fifth album isn’t beyond salvation. It is merely crushingly beige, devoid of a crucial spark that might suggest that they aren’t a spent force. “These words will fall short, but I must try”, sighs Okereke on 'Exes', a maudlin apology to those he has let down in life. There is a lot to be said for persistence, but one must know when to walk away, too." Though some praise was reserved for the track "Different Drugs". [28] The Skinny also gave a mixed review writing that "It's hard to know where to start with the 2015 version of Bloc Party. A far cry from the band that crafted one of this generation's finest debut records in Silent Alarm, they're consistently – and often unfavourably – associated with the period of time when they sat at the forefront of the UK indie scene. Whether that's fair or not is perhaps a conversation for another time, but whichever way you choose to explore and consume their fifth outing, it seems that something is amiss. Lead track 'The Love Within' opens the record and remains a bizarre mess; Kele Okereke's distinct vocal parting for a mostly one-note synth line that causes a genuine flinch. All is perhaps not lost: 'Fortress' is a somewhat pretty, minimal electro ballad while 'Different Drugs' speaks for the entire record; flirting with a series of ideas before simply fading out of sight and mind. We expected so much more." [31]
All tracks are written by Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack, except where noted.
No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
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1. | "The Love Within" | 4:36 | |
2. | "Only He Can Heal Me" | 4:04 | |
3. | "So Real" | Okereke, Lissack, Justin Harris | 3:23 |
4. | "The Good News" | 3:50 | |
5. | "Fortress" | 4:38 | |
6. | "Different Drugs" | 5:26 | |
7. | "Into the Earth" | 4:00 | |
8. | "My True Name" | 5:34 | |
9. | "Virtue" | 3:56 | |
10. | "Exes" | 4:04 | |
11. | "Living Lux" | 4:06 | |
Total length: | 47:37 |
No. | Title | Length |
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12. | "Eden" | 4:00 |
13. | "New Blood" | 4:40 |
14. | "Paraíso" | 3:58 |
15. | "Evening Song" | 4:46 |
Total length: | 65:01 |
No. | Title | Length |
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16. | "The God Vibration" | 2:54 |
Drummer Louise Bartle had not yet joined the band when the album was recorded although she did provide unlisted vocals.
Chart (2016) | Peak position |
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Australian Albums (ARIA) [32] | 15 |
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria) [33] | 29 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders) [34] | 25 |
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia) [35] | 39 |
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100) [36] | 78 |
French Albums (SNEP) [37] | 84 |
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100) [38] | 30 |
Irish Albums (IRMA) [39] | 61 |
Japanese Albums (Oricon) [40] | 112 |
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) [41] | 38 |
UK Albums (OCC) [42] | 12 |
US Billboard 200 [43] | 198 |
US Top Album Sales (Billboard) [44] | 93 |
US Top Alternative Albums (Billboard) [45] | 14 |
US Top Rock Albums (Billboard) [46] | 18 |
Bloc Party are an English rock band, composed of Kele Okereke, Russell Lissack, Justin Harris and Louise Bartle. Former members Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes left the band in 2013 and 2015 respectively. Their brand of music, whilst rooted in rock, retains elements of other genres such as electronica and house music. The band was formed at the 1999 Reading Festival by Okereke and Lissack. They went through a variety of names before settling on Bloc Party in 2003. Moakes joined the band after answering an advert in NME magazine, while Tong was picked via an audition. Bloc Party got their break by giving BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq and Franz Ferdinand's lead singer, Alex Kapranos, a copy of their demo "She's Hearing Voices".
Rowland Kelechukwu Okereke, also known mononymously as Kele, is an English singer, songwriter, and musician. He is best known as the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the indie rock band Bloc Party. Additionally, he has released six studio albums as a solo artist.
Gordon Peter Moakes is an English musician, best known as the bassist of rock band Young Legionnaire and former member of indie rock band Bloc Party.
Silent Alarm is the debut studio album by English rock band Bloc Party. Recorded in Copenhagen and London in mid-2004 with Paul Epworth as producer, it was released on 2 February 2005, by Wichita Recordings. The album peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 114 and the Billboard Independent Albums at number seven. The double A-side "So Here We Are/Positive Tension", "Banquet" and "The Pioneers" were released as singles. Silent Alarm went on to achieve worldwide sales of over one million copies.
Silent Alarm Remixed is the remix album to Silent Alarm, the debut album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 29 August 2005 in the British Isles on Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, and on 13 September 2005 in the United States through Vice Records to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring schedule. The record peaked at number 54 on the UK Albums Chart. In the US, it achieved a peak of number four on the Billboard Top Electronic Albums.
A Weekend in the City is the second studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded at Grouse Lodge Studios in Westmeath, Ireland, in mid-2006 and was produced by Jacknife Lee. The album was refined and mixed at several locations in London at the end of 2006. It was released on 24 January 2007 in Japan and in the first week of February in the rest of the world, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. The album peaked at number two on the UK Albums Chart and on the Irish Albums Chart. In the United States, it entered the Billboard 200 at number 12.
"I Still Remember" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as a single from their second studio album, A Weekend in the City, being the first U.S. single and second UK single from the album. The single was released in Britain in two 7" formats as well as a CD version. The B-sides are "Atonement", "Cain Said To Abel", "Selfish Son", and "I Still Remember ". A limited edition "I Still Remember" 7" was also given to the first 1000 people who pre-ordered the album from Insound. The music video was made by Aggressive and was first shown on 8 January 2007 on MTV2. The song peaked at number 24 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it the band's highest-charting single in the US.
"Banquet" is a song from British band Bloc Party's debut album Silent Alarm. Originally released on a double A-side single along with "Staying Fat" in May 2004 by Moshi Moshi Records, it was re-released as a regular single in the United Kingdom by Wichita Recordings on 25 April 2005. It was their first single to chart on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks where it came in at number 34, and is often credited as their breakthrough single in North America. It was also featured in the song "Bloc Party" on the Fort Minor Mixtape: We Major. It was ranked No. 31 in NME's top 100 tracks of the decade, and was number 54 in Triple J's Hottest 100 of all time. It peaked at No. 13 on the UK Singles Chart. In 2011, NME placed it at number 20 on its list "150 Best Tracks of the Past 15 Years". The song was featured in the 2018/19 video game Life Is Strange 2.
"Two More Years" is a single by Bloc Party. It reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart, making it the second of the band's top ten hits.
"Flux" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as a single on 12 November 2007 and produced by Jacknife Lee, along with several other new songs, during the band's week in the studio after their performances at the Carling Weekend: Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song uses mostly electronic instruments and features vocalist Kele Okereke's voice manipulated through Auto-Tune. It was first performed live on 26 September 2007 at Covington's Madison Theater.
The discography of Bloc Party, a British indie rock band, consists of six studio albums, three extended plays (EPs), and two remix albums released on primary label Wichita Recordings. Bloc Party were formed in 1999 by chief songwriter and frontman Kele Okereke and Russell Lissack. Bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong joined the band later. The first song by them that we know of is called “This Is Not A Competition” although it hasn't been officially released, it was the first song the band put on their official website. The quartet's first release was the Bloc Party EP in 2004; the first single, "She's Hearing Voices", was released and it failed to chart in the United Kingdom. The next EP, Little Thoughts was released the same year only in Japan; it included Bloc Party's first UK Top 40 entry, the double A-side "Little Thoughts/Tulips", which peaked at number 38.
Intimacy is the third studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth. The band members made the album available for purchase on their website as a digital download on 21 August 2008. Minimal promotion was undertaken in the UK. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18.
"One More Chance" is a 2009 single by British band Bloc Party. It was released on 10 August 2009.
The Boxer is the debut solo album by Kele Okereke, the lead singer of British indie rock band Bloc Party. Okereke released the album under the professional name of Kele on 21 June 2010. As promotion, he uploaded the songs "Rise" and "Walk Tall" to his personal website on 13 May. The first single from The Boxer was "Tenderoni", released on 14 June, and the second, "Everything You Wanted", on 16 August. The album's third single "On the Lam" was released on 25 October.
The Hunter is the first EP by Kele Okereke, lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the British rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 7 November 2011 by Wichita Recordings in the UK, set back a week from the original release date, and 3 days earlier on 4 November 2011 by Wichita Recordings and Liberator Music in Australia. The first single released from the EP was "What Did I Do?", which features guest vocals from Lucy Taylor. The music video was released on 13 September 2011, with the song released as a digital single in Japan 10 days later.
Four is the fourth studio album by British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in late 2011 and early 2012 at Stratosphere Sound, New York City, with producer Alex Newport. Newport also produced Wreckonomics—the EP of bassist Gordon Moakes' side project, Young Legionnaire. It was released on 20 August 2012 on independent label Frenchkiss Records, and was made available to stream the week preceding its release. The album peaked at number 3 in the UK Albums Chart, and at number 36 on the Billboard 200 chart in the United States. It is the last album featuring the original line-up with Gordon Moakes and Matt Tong.
"Octopus" is a song by the British indie rock band Bloc Party, released as the lead single from the band's fourth album Four on 11 July 2012.
Trick is the second solo album by Kele Okereke, the lead singer of British indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 13 October 2014 through Lilac Records. It entered the UK Albums Chart at number 99.
"Truth" is a song by the British indie rock band Bloc Party, released as the third single from the band's fourth album Four on 25 February 2013.
Alpha Games is the sixth studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party, released on 29 April 2022. It is the first studio album by the band since 2016's Hymns. It is notably the first album with drummer Louise Bartle, who joined the band after drum sessions for Hymns had been completed, and the first to feature significant songwriting input from Bartle and bassist Justin Harris with Hymns having been mostly written by lead singer Kele Okereke and guitarist Russell Lissack.
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