Hump Day Helper -- In Retrograde Edition

Because it's Wednesday, and we all need a pick-me-up to make it through the rest of the week in our respective hells, WDR is providing some fun.

So last week Bloc Party decided to do the whole "drop an album as soon as we finish it" gambit that has proven popular for many artists (see: Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails for great success, Raconteurs, Beck for perhaps not as great success). Sure, it gets them some attention for the maneuver, but without the run-up in promotion, will it kill the eventual sales tally? I'll guess yes, considering that Bloc Party doesn't have the same built-in fanbase that Radiohead or NIN have. Then again, Bloc Party might need all the good news they can get; plus first releasing the album on iTunes, followed by a physical release (with extra tracks!) a month later might have the same effect of promotion. We'll see if it pays off.

People were pretty split on A Weekend In The City, mainly in that it wasn't Silent Alarm Part II. I enjoyed it however, maybe because I realized it was a concept album--the anticipation yet realization of futility of partying in the beginning of the weekend, followed by throwing yourself into the scene, and capped by the eventual regret. If you didn't get that, the fact that a track called "Sunday" is the penultimate track should have given you a clue. While other people may not have enjoyed it, I'll take my heart-pumping "Song for Clay" AND my redemptive "SRXT" any day of the week.

As for the new material...well, it's different. "Mercury" is not really an indication of the entirety of the new album, though once heard with the rest of it, you can make sense of it. But it's a fast-paced electrodance kind of thing, so it definitely fits the bill of the HDH. Plus, the video is goofy. Always a plus.

This is not the time, the time to start a new love
This is not the time, the time to sign a lease
Try not to worry about what's forgotten
Try not to worry about what's been missed...