This is sure to be one of the most divisive albums of the year. However,
Intimacy, the latest from New Cross' finest, appears to satisfy all possible audiences. Scenesters hoping for 10 '
Helicopter' clones will be pretty shocked by the change of direction, but will still find themselves loving more conventional tracks like '
Halo'. Those looking for more dance-orientated electronica, as hinted at by recet singles '
Mercury' and '
Flux' will possibly lose patience with mellower tracks '
Signs' and '
Biko'. However, it is clear to me at least that this is their masterpiece and one of the records of the year, despite requiring a couple of listens before it reveals its quality.
Upon the first listen, I found myself shaking my head in disbelief at the first two tracks. 'Ares' begins with 15 seconds of calming synths before assaulting the listener with spiky guitars and relentlessly barking lyrics from Okerere, to some sounding more like Hadouken! than Bloc Party. However once you get past this sonic onslaught, the technical achievements and the lyrics with which Okerere lists all of the world's problems.
Choosing 'Mercury' as a lead single was either a brave or misjudged decision. All the minimalist vocal looping and esoteric lyrics referring to astrology don't make the song accessible at all but as part of the album, it works. Again, after a few listens, the swirling trumpets are accepted as part of the music, not as an afterthought and it genuinely improves with each listen.
'Halo' is immediately more accessible. There is some intense riffing from Lissack and Okerere, lyrics that are sung, not shouted, and it is a song that sounds like it would fit on either of their other albums, until the synths are brought in for the solo break where they aren't seen as a distraction or a waste, but an addition to the soundscape.
The hearbreakingly beautiful 'Biko' couldn't be more different. A complete change of pace, Kele sings with an effective falsetto about a dying friend, quoting Nirvana's 'Heart-Shaped Box' and bearing his soul. This song sounds almost too personal to listen to. Musically, the lack of anything except a looped guitar pattern and some bulding beats from a drum machine, it comes as a shock after the first three tracks, sounding more like something off "Kid A."
We are instantly brought back to the full heavy Bloc Party experience with 'Trojan Horse', with a blend of the personal lyrics and thick texture of drums and synths. It features another chorus with a strong melody, but already sounds familiar. After this, the first two tracks suddenly sound more like music.
Other highlights include 'One Month Off', with angry lyrics in which Kele bursts out at an unfaithful partner, deciding to "Be as cruel as [you], fighting fire with firewood," a clever lyric the likes of which are found throughout the album. 'Signs' is a sequel of sorts to 'Biko', with a glockenspiel to evoke a dreamy soundscape and lyrics where the cancer paitient is now dead and mourned for by Okerere, who now can barely handle the grief.
'Zepherus' sounds a lot like a lot of the rest of the album but is distinguished by a choir, making it sound more epic or pretentious, depending on how it is looked at. New single 'Talons' was not included on the original cut of 'Intimacy', but belongs on it and will feature on the physical release. Seeing Okerere running away from a hedonistic lifestyle, feeling guilty and hating his partner in a similar vein to 'Mercury' ("When did you become such a slut?" he asks with dissent).
Closer 'Ion Square' sees Kele's issues solved, no longer mourning or hating but being comfortable with his relationship for once. So, after all the effects and astrological imagery, Intimacy is essentially a relationship record. Lyrics seem inaccessible but are revealed to be personal. While initally sounding like a mess of horns, shouts and very loud guitars, the heavier tracks get more interesting and melodic, while the mellow tracks simply get more beautiful. This will be seen as Bloc Party's masterpiece, their Kid A, but when this will happen is a matter of time
