A Song for Clay

Bloc Party is not a band I've given an adequate chance. Yes, I own their debut, Silent Alarm but I never found it exceptionally appealing. Don't get me wrong, I think their music, which is a cool mix of indie and brit pop/rock, is fun and interesting, but for some reason I never really felt a serious want to listen to their music.

I had heard that their sophomore effort, A Weekend In the City was a notable achievement, but for whatever reason, my fancy wasn't really ever tickled. Until now.

The opening song of A Weekend in the City is an incredible track, worth more than multiple listens. The lyrics are wonderful, based on a Bret Easton Ellis novel Less Than Zero, the track captures the desolation of the life in London (like the book tried to create for the city of Los Angeles. It's called "Song for Clay (Disappear Here)" [Download]. Clay is the name of the main character in Less Than Zero.

The opening lines are most interesting, "I am trying to be heroic in an age of modernity." There's a constant juxtaposition with life in today's "modern" world with history or the past, assuming that people had emotion then. The idea of being detached from emotion and the belief that everything is ultimately the sway of entropy is the prevalent theme of the song. Reviews of Ellis' novel say that he attempts to do the same. Less than Zero chronicles Clay's winter visit to his hometown, L.A. and the odd and destructive things he notices people do there (and that he does himself). "People are afraid to merge on freeways in Los Angeles" is a recurring line in the book and again in the song (minus the Los Angeles part). The subtitle of the song, "Disappear Here" is found often in the book on billboards throughout the city (a la Great Gatsby).

[Take a look at the CD cover and look at its title, ...I really like these guys.]

The composition of the song is what makes it most interesting. The start of the song is a silent confession of apathy then a driving, seemingly electronic beat begins backed by heavy guitar and base. The song becomes a fast-paced moody conglomerate of sound until the bridge slows the song and Kele Okereke exclaims that "East London is a vampire that sucks the joy right out of me!" A choir of bases crescendoes in the background until the song regains its driving beat that is sustained 'till its end.

Download: "Song For Clay (Disappear Here)" by Bloc Party

Please give this track a listen. It's a great piece.

[Side note: you'll be interested to know that the title of the book, Less Than Zero comes from an Elvis Costello song. So in essence the tale has come full circle with this song.]

What do you think of the song? Please leave me a comment!