Bloc Party

About

They may not have gone platinum in the US or charted as highly as they did in their native Britain, but London’s Bloc Party nevertheless had a stylistic impact on stateside indie rock when they rose to prominence in the mid-2000s. The group’s appeal was a balance between the retro-inspired spikiness of trebly post-punk guitars, contrasted by the appealing shyness of singer Kele Okereke. As trends waned, so too did Bloc Party’s brittle sound; the group eventually smoothed off its rough edges with an added electronic finesse. The group’s recent record, simply titled Four, is a return to its jittery beginnings, which should appeal to its earliest fan base.