Pictured: Kele Okereke (Lead Vocals/Rhythm Guitar/Sampling), Russell Lissack (Lead Guitar/Keyboard), Justin Harris (Bass Guitar/Synths) & Louise Bartle (Drums/Percussion) (2015) (Photo by Rachael Wright)
Good Morning to you! This is Jacob Braybrooke, and it’s the time of the week where we re-evaluate some of the biggest hits that would have gained airplay from the likes of Kerrang and Scuzz TV in the decades past, because it’s always my day-to-day pleasure to write up about a different piece of music every day! The current line-up of Bloc Party sees long-serving frontman Kele Okereke touring with Russell Lisack, Louise Bartle and Justin Harris, but previous iterations of the project have seen guitarists like Matt Tong and Gordon Moakes playing among their ranks. Although I’m not very sure how well-known that Bloc Party are globally, they are a household name in the UK, having scored many memorable crossover hits like ‘Flux’, ‘Hunting For Witches’, ‘Banquet’, ‘Two More Years’ and ‘The Prayer’ in the UK Singles Charts, well on their way to selling over three million albums worldwide. ‘Helicopter’ was a permanent fixture on the multiplayer mode of ‘Guitar Hero 3: Legends Of Rock’ from 2007, and it was one of the band’s first mainstream successes, as it was released as a standalone single in 2004 before also appearing on their debut studio album, ‘Silent Alarm’, the next year. Known for blending 00’s ‘Indie’ rock tropes with elements of Ambient House and Electronica, Bloc Party received decent reviews for their first LP and the record was named the ‘Indie Album Of The Year’ at the 2006 PLUG Awards and at the NME Awards of the same year. Let’s remind ourselves of ‘Helicopter’ below.
A Garage rock-tinged 00’s indie anthem, ‘Helicopter’ reached #26 in the UK Singles Chart and the main riff was adapted from The Jam’s ‘Set The House Ablaze’ taken off their 1980 album, ‘Sound Affects’. Making it’s mark on popular culture, the original record and remixes of the record have appeared in video games like ‘Project Gotham Racing 3’, ‘FIFA 06’ and ‘Colin McRae DIRT 2’, and it can also be heard in film and TV productions like ‘Yes Man’, ‘Charlie St. Cloud’ and ‘Malcolm In The Middle’ too. As for the track itself, Bloc Party managed to stand out from contemporary peers like Interpol and Franz Ferdinand by drawing from the dark spectrum of their homeland’s 1980’s indie pop canon with some Gang Of Four-laden guitar stabs in the chorus and by jogging the memories of The Jam, especially in the melodic vocals that add a grittier feel to their sound. The lyrics are a rally cry for a call to arms against those who stand for political incorrectness and the acceptance of those who stand still, with lyrics like “Are you waiting for a miracle?” influencing a feel of urgency, and notable refrains like “North to South/Empty” inspiring independence as a glorified weapon. Yet more raw guitar riffs energetically charge these vocals, and the somewhat off-key backing vocals are cased in a distorted fuzz, giving the effect of back-tracking of polished perfection. There’s a catchy Strokes-like harmonized guitar line in the verses, and the track also has a memorable bridge that builds up some bitter effect-boosted guitar riffs leading to an up-tempo riff or harmonics that add a fresh, somewhat inventive, dimension to the track in its great finale, so to speak, and this is a very solid effect because it creates some pounding instrumentation that feels energetic before the charismatic Drum outro. I felt that drummer Matt Tong really shined in this track, and the accessibility of the tune managed to garner interest from the average indie pop/rock listener without departing too drastically from their influences of Electronica and Ghetto House that were important to Bloc Party’s core sound. In conclusion, while this probably isn’t the most accurate representation of Bloc Party overall, it is still a very catchy pop/rock tune that pulls a few of the tricks up its sleeves to a raucous effect with catchy hooks and a nice balance of radio-friendly appeal and something more alternative. It was a timeless single that, along with Arctic Monkeys and Maximo Park, commanded sizeable audiences for Indie acts.
Pictured: Cover Art for ‘Silent Alarm’ (LP) (Released on February 2, 2005) (via Wichita Recordings)
Thank you for checking out my latest post, and I’ll be back tomorrow with an in-depth look at solo music from a Cuban-American singer songwriter who was previously a member of the girl group Fifth Harmony, who found fame with global chart hits like ‘Worth It’ following their third place finish from the US series of ‘The X Factor’ of 2012.
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