Bloc Party’s Kele Okereke (vocals, rhythm guitar) and Russell Lissack (lead guitar, synthesizers) met at the Reading Festival in 1999 and subsequently formed a band. It took some time before the name was solidified in 2003, along with the rest of the lineup, including Gordon Moakes (bass) and Matt Tong (drums). The London act got their big break at a fated Franz Ferdinand concert, where Okereke peddled their “She’s Hearing Voices” demo to a few key figures, including Franz Ferdinand frontman Alex Kapranos and BBC Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq.
Kapranos proved to be an invaluable resource. He played the demo for his record label and others, helping to get their name out there. Later, on Instagram, Kapranos shared the original note from Okereke asking if Bloc Party could support them on their next London stint, to which the group obliged. For Lamacq’s part, he invited them in for a live session at the station, an act that ultimately helped them get signed.
With so much youthful talent, the question remains if Bloc Party would have lived in obscurity for that much longer. Even if Kapranos and Lamacq weren’t quite on the level of David Byrne and David Bowie, who helped Arcade Fire reach the masses, their efforts had that same kind of effect. As a result, Bloc Party received a lot of well-deserved hype surrounding their debut, Silent Alarm.
Bloc Party were well on their way after a pair of 2004 EPs produced by Paul Epworth, who became a popular name thanks to his work with the likes of the Futureheads and Maxïmo Park. The self-titled EP was effectively their demo, featuring “Banquet” and the aforementioned lo-fi version of “She’s Hearing Voices”, followed by Little Thoughts, which introduced listeners to the title track and “Helicopter”.
They retreated to Delta Lab Studios in Copenhagen with Epworth for their debut, harnessing all the momentum each carried into the session. The recordings produced a lively and immediately captivating listen, which turned out to be one of the best British debuts from that era or any since.
Unlike most albums at that time, Silent Alarm had plenty of exposure prior to its release in February 2005. “She’s Hearing Voices”, “Banquet”, “Little Thoughts”, and “Helicopter” were all available before the “So Here We Are/Positive Tension” double A-side. The most lasting track from the record, “Banquet”, was reissued later that spring, followed by “The Pioneers” in the summer, meaning half the tracks ended up being singles.
What’s most impressive is that it still left some meat on the bones, including some top-notch tracks, such as “She’s Eating Glass”, “Blue Light”, “This Modern Love”, and “Plans”. Depending on the listener, nearly any cut could be a fan favorite.
Bloc Party were firing on all cylinders on so many songs here, and much of that is a result of their willingness to try anything and everything. They didn’t appear to be setting aside songs or even parts of songs for the next record. As with so many of the best debuts, Bloc Party were putting it all out there in the unlikely scenario that this would be their first and last opportunity.
“Helicopter” showcases a difficult time signature and pre-chorus, which Epworth wanted to cut, but the band fought hard to keep. Undoubtedly, the song is all the more endearing thanks to those nontraditional elements, and that is perhaps why it came to be included in Guitar Hero III. “Like Eating Glass” features some of the band’s most inventive drumming, a groove-laden bassline, and guitar dexterity that penetrates as much as it clings to the melody, which says nothing about the desperation found in the lyrics and vocal delivery. Almost every track can be taken apart and put back together again, the biggest mystery being how the band thought to do so in the first place.
Silent Alarm, which was named after an early detection system for earthquakes in Japan, showcased a band with youthful exuberance but also one with social and political consciousness. “Positive Tension” critiqued reality show competitions, “The Price of Gasoline” targeted the root cause of the Middle East conflict, and “The Pioneers” spoke about the inability to be wholly original in modern times. The latter track featured the lyrics, “We said we’re going to conquer new frontiers / Go on, stick your bloody head in the jaws of the beast.” The themes weren’t for the faint of heart, but they also demonstrated a lot of heart, which often gets overlooked in favor of the band’s sheer intensity.
Most people don’t consider Silent Alarm an overly emotional record, but that quality makes it a robust offering. Many alternative groups have released supercharged records with few moments of respite, and just as many have gone the sentimental route. Few have been able to navigate both with equal command.
“This Modern Love” just slays with its twinkling notes and lyrics recounting feelings accompanying new love. There’s an innocence to it all: “Baby, you’ve got to be more discerning / I’ve never known what’s good for me / Baby, you’ve got to be more demanding / I will be yours.” “Blue Light” is emo in its overall arrangement, with the lyrics “I still feel you in the taste of cigarettes” and the steady build to a hushed climax, symbolized by “the gentlest feeling”. “So Here We Are” is another tranquil number that shimmers, inching into dream pop territory. One cannot imagine the album without these moments of calm, which provide a necessary contrast to the overall fervor.
What makes the Silent Alarm so enduring is hard to pin down, and it’s very much a matter of personal taste. For one person it might be the radio cuts that are still heard today, including “Banquet” and “Helicopter”. For others, the sentimental numbers have had a lasting impact. Still others appreciate the left-leaning social commentary.
I would argue that those who value the album in its entirety celebrate all of those elements but find other aspects that speak to them, like the sonic assault on “Positive Tension” followed by the climactic “Why’d you have to get / So fucking useless?”. Or the call and response playing on “Banquet”. Or the pounding drums punctuated by the brooding lyrics of “Plans”. Or the electronica slow motion procession of album closer “Compliments”. The list could go on and on.
Okereke bristled at being lumped into the British post-punk movement of the time, even if Bloc Party ultimately benefited. In a 2020 Double J interview, he said, “I don’t want to sound disparaging about post-punk because a lot of that music has gone on to influence me. I was just conscious that I didn’t want us to be solely known for that.” He felt like it was a reduction of their music, which he saw as more atmospheric, influenced by post-rock bands, electronic and dance. The dancefloor sounds are readily apparent, but Bloc Party had way more in common with Gang of Four than Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
That has become the rub, Bloc Party’s natural inclination to take on certain recognizable styles but their unwillingness to be considered—not even pigeonholed—by those designations. For instance, they took exception to their guitars being described as angular, which they most certainly are (just listen to the introduction of “Helicopter”).
If the irregular timing and political bent heard on Silent Alarm was not influenced by Gang of Four, it bears an uncanny resemblance. Surely, the comparisons would become tiring, but they serve as a good reference point and introduce many new listeners to the quintessential works that came before (much the same effect that Interpol had on those who eventually discovered Joy Division).
By August of that year, the LP was so big that it got the remix treatment on Silent Alarm Remixed, with black cover art that included a negative of the original bleak winter landscape. It’s somewhat comical that a band so wary of their critical reception were already willing to celebrate their first release. In the years since, Bloc Party have refused to partake in anniversary-related activities, eventually conceding to a live tour where they played the songs in reverse order. Some major influences and noteworthy contemporaries helped to rework the originals, including Death from Above 1979, Four Tet, Ladytron, M83, Mogwai, and Nick Zinner.
The immediate success of Silent Alarm speaks to its quality over any surrounding factors. Twenty years later, the record still astonishes. Oddly enough, it was somewhat cobbled together for a statement that sounds like such a perfectly formulated whole. The record contained some of their first recordings, songs played while touring, and others written specifically for the album. Regardless, Silent Alarm sparkles today as it did back then.
Sure, some elements may be brought under closer scrutiny, like the role Epworth took in production, which both unified the work and made it somewhat of a less authentic representation. Some of the parts, like Okereke’s backing vocals, seem stacked upon each other as if they were built in a GarageBand studio, not fit for the stage. “Luno” would benefit by being half a beat slower. In addition, a track like “The Price of Gasoline” comes across as a little on the nose today, especially this far removed from worldwide preoccupation with oil prices. But these are quibbles when considering the synergy of the record as a whole.
While Bloc Party have gone on to release five subsequent albums, Silent Alarm will go down as their first and best record. As they took great pains to expand their palette of styles and influences, nothing can quite compare to the lightning in a bottle they found with their original. Maybe it was their youthful energy or their need to play every song like it would be their last, but they achieved something that cannot be replicated, as the band exuded a passion that has rarely been matched.