Be honest.
I gotta admit I'm really excited still, I'm always curious about new Bloc. But I know given the reaction to the new singles many might not share that outlook.
Dancing in the Moonlight is a fun pop song written by Sherman Kelly, which went on to be OHWs for both King Harvest and Toploader. I just read about it on Wikipedia and the song was inspired by WHAT!?!?! Jesus Christ, uhh... trigger warning, read at your own risk. It explains why Todd hasn't covered either version for One Hit Wonderland yet.
Another example is Somewhere Near Japan by The Beach Boys. It's a sweet song about a father wanting to rescue his daughter who gets stranded after their flight crashes. Which isn't actually that sweet come to think of it. But here's the thing. The lyrics were originally written by John Phillips, whose relationship with his daughter was... uh... what? Oh no.
What are some other examples you've got?
I've listened to all the album/era specific boxsets released since Sunshine Tomorrow + Good Vibrations and Made in California. I've also downloaded the latest leak of stuff. But I keep going on YouTube and finding bootleg stuff that isn't included in any of these (for instance the full band version of Sweet and Bitter). Can someone give me a guide of stuff to track down? They seem to have an insane amount of stuff out there and I'm getting FOMO.
Opinions on the song aside, I'm really surprised with how little attention it's getting so far. It's been out a few days but right now it only has 450 likes on YouTube and 5 ratings on RYM. For a band of BP's size, I've never seen anything like it. Even their most controversial singles like Love Within or Flirting Again generated a lot more discourse, even if it was negative. It's not like this was quietly shadowdropped either, they've been hyping it up on social media all week.
This is supposed to be a big single off an upcoming album. I hope they've got some big radio play or live appearances planned or it risks being a total bomb, which doesn't bode well for the upcoming album release.
Weezer and The Strokes are two examples of bands who had a long run of divisive albums, yet came back with some of their most celebrated work. So it can happen.
Coldplay's Everyday Life was a glimpse of what they're capable of if they focus, imo. Music of the Spheres is generally considered their weakest album, but it has one of their best songs in Coloratura. I feel at this point it's not a matter of if they can make another great album, but whether they'll ever be motivated enough to commit to one.
I haven't really enjoyed a Madonna album since Confessions, and perhaps Confessions II will be the return to form I've been hoping for. But even if it's shit, I can't help but think the Queen of reinvention has a least one great reinvention left in her.
What artist is this for you?
As we know, Anatomy Of A Brief Romance is a concept record about a relationship Kele was in recently. Curiously, it’s not about divorcing the man he married and had two kids with. Instead, it’s about a different man he had a brief rebound relationship with afterwards.
This is interesting, because writing about love and heartbreak isn’t unusual for Kele. He’s been doing it consistently for the last 25 years. So why single out this guy and make a whole album about him, considering you only dated a year and he wasn’t even your husband?
This is my theory - this guy was BAD. Like, real bad. Possibly bad in a way we’re not prepared for. That’s why I think this might be the darkest Bloc Party record.
In an interview with Billboard, Kele had this to say
“In the past year I’ve been through quite an unbelievable time and had some very difficult relationships with people, and this is the only place to put all of that.
Without wanting to go into too much detail, I had a relationship with someone that wasn’t honest and I think I need the world to see that. So this next Bloc Party record is going to come from a place of necessity... It’s going to be emotional, for sure.”
With one of the first songs on the album, which is supposed to be the happy joyous love song to kick things off, Kele slips in this jarring line
“He shows me creep shots he took of me before we'd even been introduced”
That is fucked. It’s straight up illegal, actually. The fact it’s autobiographical makes it all the more disturbing. This makes me think if that’s how we’re starting proceedings, imagine how much worse things are going to get from here.
Talking about it with NME, he describes it like this:
“You’re not seeing their problems, and they’re not seeing your problems. You’re just shaping up and getting ready for this ride… [but] I like the fact that harmonically and musically, it feels dark, sinister, like something is creeping up.
Every lyric you’re hearing on this record was something that actually happened to me. I had to tell the story, from start to finish”
I think we're in for something a lot more dark and twisted than just I Still Remember or Ion Square 14 times.
New Radicals is the best example I can think of. The minute they scored their first hit Gregg Alexander broke up the band; thereby destroying any chance of a second hit. Gregg has since written huge hit singles for other artists behind the scenes, proving New Radicals could've had a solid hitmaking career had they stuck around. But Gregg didn't want that.
Gotye is a more recent exampe. Upon the completion of the Making Mirrors era, he announced he was retiring the Gotye project. He's since spent his time playing drums for a small Australian band called The Basics, allowing him to continue playing music without the pressure of being a hitmaker.
Chumbawamba are a borderline case, in that they remained together and probably wouldn't have minded a few more hits under their belt. But they flat-out refused to play the music industry game, and intentionally sabotaged every opportunity they had to rub shoulders with the mainstream. Their personal politics were far more important to them than being popular.
Any other examples?