Inside the making of Bloc Party's A Weekend In The City, a blisteringly angry record

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Let me know what you think of the video - is A Weekend In The City better than Silent Alarm or is that just totally wrong? For my money, AWITC functions as an all-round more complete collection of songs with a broader theme, whereas Silent Alarm arguably has the best singles. Comment below and check out some of the other videos on the channel!

[@davekennedy6315]

Silent Alarm was by FAR my favourite! I LOVE literally every track (all thriller, no filler) I love the manic energy delivered by Matt Tongs crazy rapid drumming. Things seemed to slow down and even go into a electronic dance direction later on. But this is coming from someone who's teenage and twenties were in the 90s. I was 31 when Silent Alarm released.

[@zombielynx21]

The lyrical abstraction on Silent Alarm means the music has to do the job of immediacy and hooking, whereas on Weekend the lyrics are more direct so the music has more room to just be moody. I think that musical immediacy on Silent Alarm is why I like it more, but neither album is bad and I think "better" is exclusively a matter of taste between the two of them. I wouldn't argue against someone saying Weekend is better even though I feel differently.

[@alxcia]

Brilliantly put together. Too much has been said about Bloc’s sound, and too little about their words. AWITC is my favourite record of all time (no hyperbole) not because of its magnificent sound and production, but because of its message and how it spoke to me and still speaks like it was writtent today. Some lines from this record are haunting and so current, they spring in my head almost daily. Thanks for making this, much appreciated. PS: ending with On instrumental was the nicest touch👌🏼

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thanks a lot, Alexi - I recognise your name from all the very generous uploads you have made of Bloc Party footage, so I'm very glad you enjoyed this. As you say, Kele's lyrics/words play such an important role in why BP were and are such a powerful, interesting band. I often think of his lyrics day to day. I could probably do another whole video on the B-sides album too! Thanks again for watching and please subscribe (if you haven't done already) for more videos.

[@thedaimhin4535]

I was expecting this video to have like a million views

[@dethkon]

I never liked them very much

[@jefflikeusual20]

Great work! One of my favourite albums ever. SRXT was a majestic ending song. I never tire of these songs, all these years later.

[@ifeanyi212]

Man this is an amazing breakdown! A review of Intimacy would be awesome!

[@Tanzi24]

I was in my second year of uni and working Saturdays in a record shop when this came out. 'Silent Alarm' had kinda passed me by but I loved AWITC straight away! The Prayer became a staple of our nights out, at whatever indie club night we could find between Exeter and Plymouth. At the time, I struggled to separate Bloc Party from the rest of the homogeneous, hedonistic indie landscape, so the subtleties of Kele's lyrics were slightly lost on me. Thanks so much for making this video; I'm going to listen to the album again and find all those stories I was too young and self-involved to hear first time round. It's also very sad to think about how many of the political and social problems the album speaks to would get worse in the coming decades, not better.

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thanks for your comment. You raise an interesting point - BP were often grouped into a scene and culture that I think in hindsight it's quite easy to see they were uncomfortable with. Not to discredit other songwriters of the era, but I think Kele approached his lyrics with a depth and honesty that was far beyond his peers. I think AWITC demonstrates this perfectly. Sadly you're right about his lyrics being sadly prescient of the time we live in now. I would love to hear a AWITC Pt 2, 20 years on.

[@stefanssmellsvictory105]

I'm so sorry that you had to live in Exeter, haha.

[@Tanzi24]

@@stefanssmellsvictory105 Haha! I actually lived in Totnes and then Paignton!

[@johnhainzee-p1k]

Enjoyed this, thank you. Kreuzberg is my favourite from the album. Silent alarm has no weak tracks, this has a few which don’t hit the mark. ‘The Prayer’ was a decent opening single (and video) but I feel like Hunting for Witches would have worked better as a bridge to the second album.

[@paaul028]

Why has this not got more views? Hands down still the best Bloc Party album imho. I actually was watching the Blur video and left to subscribe to the channel and saw the thumbnail for this and immediately switched videos.

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

That's awesome mate - thank you! This Bloc Party album is often overlooked, compared to Silent Alarm. I hope the band do a 20th anniversary tour of it!

[@paaul028]

@@TheTitleTrack_Music if you are still looking for ideas, James have released some wonderful albums.

[@will_da_man_]

Brilliant video mate. Just want to mention, that the opening track "Song for Clay" is a reference to the book "Less Than Zero" by Bret-Easton Ellis, which is about a young adult named Clay who we see become so jaded with city life in 1980's LA. The book was no doubt also a big influence on not just that song, but the record as a whole, as it totally has the same melancholic vibe and themes of hopelessness and despair. I strongly recommend reading it, thought it's definitely not for the faint hearted. "Disappear here"

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Glad you enjoyed the video, thank you for watching! I have read Less Than Zero - many years ago now - but I'll always remember reading the line 'People are afraid to merge on the freeway in Los Angeles' and making the connection.

[@toconnell88]

Outstanding video, truly. I'm so jazzed someone else understands what makes AWITC so special and appreciates it as much as I do. Kele's lyrics and conviction on this record are what cemented my lifelong Bloc Party fandom. I always appreciated Silent Alarm intellectually, but Weekend (and to some extent Intimacy) was where I first connected emotionally. I identified with a lot of it, having moved out of home for the first time to a big city and feeling similarly alienated and disillusioned with modern life. It's one of my earliest memories of a record challenging the way I thought about the world, particularly songs like Hunting for Witches and Where Is Home? My fav tracks are I Still Remember and Kreuzberg. SRXT, though, is massively underrated and packs a huge emotional wallop. Thanks again for this great video. I even learned a few things about their inspirations at the time.

[@alxcia]

☝🏻

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

I agree completely - the lyricism on this album is excellent and also so prescient and relevant to the times we lives in today. I often think of the songs on this album when I walk around my city. I didn't even get to look properly at I Still Remember and Kreuzberg in the video, but the latter is definitely one of my favourites on the album. Thank you very much again for the view and comment, please subscribe if you enjoyed as more videos are in the pipeline!

[@Superman22010]

You should cover Bloc Party's other underapreciated master piece Intimacy

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

I agree Intimacy is overlooked. Ion Square alone is worth a video... thanks for the comment!

[@yeti_lord4427]

Another great video! It kept me hooked despite Bloc Party not being a band I've really listened too much. Keep it up!

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thank you very much - I really appreciate the views!

[@boyruns]

The b sides to their album are just as good. Should have been a 20 song double album.

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

I agree! I'll have to save the B-sides album for another video.

[@samsaunders6738]

Just found your channel and I have to say, dude, it’s awesome! You should be stacking up the views for video essays of this quality! This is one of my favourite albums of all time, the bass and drums are amazing, guitar & lyrics sensational. SRXT will always stay with me, the closing lyrics are beautifully sad. They haven’t matched it since and I don’t think they ever will. Keep it up man, these videos are awesome!

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thanks a lot for the support Sam. AWITC is definitely in my top all time records too - you know at the end of SRXT when he says 'I called up Eugene', he's referencing his dad? Kele's lyrics always leave me lost for words. Thanks again for the view!

[@bacchic6676]

Blows my mind I've listened to this album maybe 100 times but never thought too much about the words. Thanks for the education!

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. Thanks for tuning in!

[@thehairyclevage1645]

This is such a spectacularly well written and analysed video. I absolutely love the album myself. Mr title track Please keep going You're providing us with an invaluable knowledge and perspective❤

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thank you for your continued support and comments mate, I appreciate it! New video on Blur which I think you might enjoy!

[@AequepaX]

Stumbled across this channel yesterday, awesome stuff, keep at it, this video specifically taught me a LOT, opened my eyes to a lot and now I love Bloc Party more than I did before. Great research, very good presenting too 👍🏽

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thanks a lot mate - glad you learnt from the video. It's an excellent record with lots to say!

[@HeldByTrees]

Bloc Party was the best band of the ‘00s in my opinion.

[@indexical1897]

Loved this video, really great revisiting this album for the millionth time. AWITC is Bloc Party’s masterpiece - really hope they can match it in the future.

[@TheTitleTrack_Music]

Thanks for the view and support. They're still one of the greats imo!

[@Sound_Plus_Vision]

Still not even close to Silent Alarm's level, but AWITC is a solid record in its own right!

[@HeldByTrees]

This album is to the 00s what Modern Life is Rubbish was to the 90s.

[@TheMusicalElitist]

Bloc Party is the sonic embodiment of pretension wrapped in discordant riffs and hollow lyrics, fronted by a vocalist whose grating whine masquerades as emotion. Kele Okereke’s voice, a shrill blend of affected anguish and forced vulnerability, is the auditory equivalent of nails on a chalkboard, a shrieking attempt at profundity that only serves to undermine whatever genuine feeling the band might have aimed for. The band's early promise quickly deteriorated into a cacophony of recycled rhythms and empty angst, as if they were trying to package mediocrity with a veneer of edgy cool. Their attempts at innovation are not bold steps forward, but misfires into an abyss of self-indulgent noise, leaving behind a hollow echo of what could have been.

[@hollywooda111]

No. but still a great album.

[@hollywooda111]

Didn't realise Kele had such a victim complex.