A Big Bloc Party

If we were asked to name our favorite current bands, Bloc Party would be a consensus pick. Today is a good day, because today seems to be Bloc Party day. Adding to an already crazy week, we have info on the new album, the new US tour and we stumbled upon a demo. If you don't have a clue who we are talking about, you have to check this out.

The new album is slated for late '06/ early '07 release. It does not yet have an official title, but it sounds like they are being much more experimental on this album. Kele Okereke says the album is "dark, bigger and quite abrasive. It's not noisy, but it's quite dense. I think it's going to require people to make an effort with it. There's a lot of interplay and a lot of detail. There are some slower moments too. I was aware that we didn't have very many songs that were laid back. Everything was frenetic and that's fine, but we wouldn't be doing ourselves any justice as musicians if we just ploughed the same furrow." More information can be attained here. In addition, they have revealed the track shortlist for the new album. Songs which don’t appear on the album will be used as b-sides. The songs are:

A Prayer to the Lord
England
Hunting for Witches
It Started in an Afternoon
Kreuzberg
On
Seroxat
Song for Clay (Disappear Here)
Sunday
Uniform
Waiting for the 7:18
We Were Lovers
Where Is Home?

As far as a tour goes, the good news is they will be going on one during the late fall. The bad news is that they will be opening for Panic! At The Disco. The Dates are:

* 11/7 - Sunrise, FL @ Bank Atlantic Center
* 11/8 - Orlando, FL @ UCF Arena
* 11/9 - Atlanta, GA @ HiFi Buys Amphitheatre
* 11/10 - Charlotte, NC @ Cricket Arena
* 11/11 - Fairfax, VA @ Patriot Center
* 11/13, 14 - New York, NY @ The Theatre at Madison Square Garden
* 11/16 - Toronto, ON @ Ricoh Coliseum
* 11/17 - Rochester, NY @ Gordon Field House at R.I.T.
* 11/18 - Lowell, MA @ Paul E. Tsongas Arena
* 11/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Wachovia Center
* 11/21 - Detroit, MI @ The Palace of Auburn Hills
* 11/22 - Chicago, IL @ UIC Pavilion
* 11/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ US Bank Theatre at Target Center
* 11/25 - St. Louis, MO @ St. Charles County Family Arena
* 11/26 - Council Bluffs, IA @ Mid America Center
* 11/28 - Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
* 11/29 - West Valley City, UT @ The E Center
* 12/1 - Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum
* 12/2 - Vancouver, BC @ Pacific Coliseum
* 12/3 - Seattle, WA @ Everett Events Center
* 12/5 - San Jose, CA @ HP Pavilion
* 12/6 - Long Beach, CA @ Long Beach Arena
* 12/7 - Glendale, AZ @ Glendale Arena
* 12/8 - Las Vegas, NV @ Orleans Theatre
* 12/9 - San Diego, CA @ ipayOne Center

Finally, we found a demo floating around. It is for the track Song For Clay (Disappear Here) and was supposedly recorded earlier this year. According to blocparty.net, "'Song For Clay' is about the main character in Brett Easton Ellis' novel 'Less Than Zero'. A rich young college student who returns to his hometown of Los Angeles for the winter break. Clay subsequently becomes bored and turns to drugs and cheap thrills to keep him occupied, resulting in further boredom. This dizzying spiral of desperation takes him to relentless parties in glitzy mansions, seedy bars, and underground rock clubs as he seeks inner direction." If this is any indication of what the finished album will sound like, it is going to be great.

Bloc Party - Song For Clay (Disappear Here) - Demo