| "Octopus" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Bloc Party | ||||
| from the album Four | ||||
| B-side | "Straight Thru Cru" | |||
| Released | 11 July 2012 [1] [2] | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:05 | |||
| Label | Frenchkiss | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Alex Newport | |||
| Bloc Party singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"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.
"Octopus" was released as the band's first single since "One More Chance", a standalone single released 3 years before in 2009. "Octopus" was also notable as being the band's first single to be released on Frenchkiss Records.
"Octopus" was well received by critics upon its release. Billboard stated that the track "takes the band back to the earliest days of Silent Alarm " and called the track "pure rock 'n' roll". [3] Metro also noted the band returning to their indie roots, as well as comparing the track's "strong guitar hook and catchy lyrics" to the band's sound on their debut Silent Alarm. [4]
Counteract Magazine wrote that on the song, "Kele's vocals feel freer and less dominating, giving the whole band a chance to loosen up." They also called "Octopus" an "interesting comeback single" and an "exciting preview of what is yet to come." [5]
Pretty Much Amazing blog summed up the song by saying that it "has more pop appeal than it initially lets on. The beguilingly simple call-and-response melody will get stuck in your head with repeat listens." [6]
The music video for "Octopus" debuted on 10 July 2012 on Bloc Party's official YouTube page and on their website. [2] [7] [ non-primary source needed ] The music video was directed by Nova Dando, [7] who also directed the video for "What Did I Do?" by the band's lead singer Kele Okereke. [8]
Billboard summarised the music video for "Octopus" as "Bloc Party playing the track in an old warehouse while women dance in black leotards, spinning hula hoops and ribbons of primary colors [...] Bright colors flash across the screen, working with both the primary color theme and the beat of the music." [3] They called the video "a fitting complement for the song's simple, driven indie sound." [3]
The song frequently appears in the band's set, and was played extensively on the 2016 Hymns tour. In the live version, they often add the first verse of "I've been Tired" by Pixies.
Digital download [9]
7" Single
Digital EP
Four More EP (free CD with Musikexpress magazine)
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.
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.
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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.
"Peek-a-Boo" is a song by English rock band Siouxsie and the Banshees. It was released in 1988 as the first single from the band's ninth studio album, Peepshow. Melody Maker described the song as "a brightly unexpected mixture of black steel and pop disturbance" and qualified its genre as "thirties hip hop". "Peek-a-Boo" was rated "Single of the Week" in both Sounds and NME. Sounds wrote that it was a "brave move", "playful and mysterious". NME described it as "Oriental marching band hip hop" with "catchy accordion." They then said : "If this nation was served by anything approaching a decent pop radio station, "Peek A Boo" would be a huge hit."
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. Upon release, the song reached number 24 on the Billboard Hot Modern Rock Tracks chart, making it the band's highest charting single in the US, besting the number 34 peak of "Banquet" on the same chart in 2005.
"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.
"Hunting for Witches" is a song by English rock band Bloc Party. It was released as the third single from their second studio album, A Weekend in the City, on 9 July 2007. The song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart.
The discography of Bloc Party, a British indie rock band, consists of five 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 quartet's first release was the Bloc Party EP in 2004; the first single, "She's Hearing Voices", was released from this, but 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.
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| Remix albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Related articles | |
