Get up and dance

Just downloaded Bloc Party's new album, Silent Alarm from the iTunes store. It's an album I've been meaning to get for a while, and I'm glad I did. Almost every review I've read has compared Bloc Party's sound to that of Franz Ferdinand, since they both play a type of dance-rock. But where FF hold their songs at arm's length in a too-cool-for-school-style detachment, the songs on Silent Alarm have an earnestness and warmth that makes them incredibly enjoyable. I dig the first single, "Banquet", but I've been struck by the quality of "Positive Tension" and "Blue Light" on my first listen, and "The Pioneers" brings to mind War-era U2. But the great thing about this album is, if you strip away the hipster hype machine factor, it's still a great bunch of songs to dance around your apartment to. Even if your neighbor across the way is watching you through your window. And laughing. Really hard.