Izdavač: Ostalo
Žanr: Alternativni Rok, Elektronska muzika, Rok
Poreklo: Strani izvođač

Original, made in EU

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knjizica 5 Cd 5/5-

Studio album by Bloc Party
Released 21 August 2008
Recorded February – June 2008
Studio
The Garage (Kent, England)
The Pool (London, England)
Miloco Studios (London, England)
Olympic Studios (London, England)
Genre
Indie rockalternative dance
Length 48:04
Label Wichita
Producer
Paul EpworthJacknife Lee
Bloc Party chronology
A Weekend in the City
(2007) Intimacy
(2008) Four
(2012)

Intimacy is the third studio album by English indie rock band Bloc Party. It was recorded in two weeks at several locations in London and Kent during 2008 and was produced by Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth. The band members made the album available for purchase on their website as a digital download on 21 August 2008. Minimal promotion was undertaken in the UK. The record was released in compact disc form on 24 October 2008, with Wichita Recordings as the primary label. It peaked at number 8 on the UK Albums Chart and entered the Billboard 200 in the United States at number 18.

Bloc Party wanted to create an album that further distanced the band from the traditional rock set-up by incorporating more electronic elements and unconventional musical arrangements. As the record`s title suggests, its tracks are about personal relationships and are loosely based on one of frontman Kele Okereke`s break-ups in 2007. Three songs were released as singles: `Mercury`, `Talons`, and `One Month Off`; the first two tracks entered the UK Top 40. Intimacy was generally well received by critics. Reviewers often focused on its rush-release and central theme, and considered them either bold steps or poor choices.

Origins and recording
Bloc Party`s second album A Weekend in the City, released in 2007, allowed the quartet to evolve sonically by including more electronically tampered soundscapes,[1] but the band members were not entirely comfortable with more daring musical arrangements when making the record. According to multi-instrumentalist Gordon Moakes, the impromptu November 2007 single `Flux` `opened a door to the fact that we could go in any direction` in future works.[2] After the NME Big Gig in February 2008,[3] the band members took a month off from touring and did not interact with each other during that period. Moakes felt that there were no rules when the band re-assembled for studio work.[2] Chief lyricist Okereke completed most of the songwriting before the recording process.[4]

You know what the parameters are. You aren`t stifled by having too much choice. You know what you have to do in this time frame to make it work. Whereas if we had a whole year in a studio it would have been a very different record. That`s the conditions that Bloc Party thrive under: having to work quickly.[5]

Kele Okereke, on Bloc Party`s methods during the recording of Intimacy
In mid-2008, Bloc Party attended secret sessions at studios in the south-east of England.[3][6] The band aimed to use a similar process to the creation of `Flux`, which was crafted in a week.[7] Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee—from Bloc Party`s previous albums, Silent Alarm and A Weekend in the City, respectively—returned to the production staff for Intimacy, because the band members felt that they had `unfinished business` with both.[8] Okereke has stated that having two producers allowed for musical experimentation.[7] Epworth focused on capturing the dynamic of a live band by working on fully developed songs and emphasising the rhythm section in the mix.[9][10] Lee aided the band members` evolution towards a more electronic style by creating tracks with them.[9][11] Each producer worked on five of the record`s original ten tracks.[5]

According to Okereke, Bloc Party wanted to make something as stylised as R&B or electronica,[12] combining the rawness of Silent Alarm and the recording experience gained from A Weekend in the City.[8] The frontman drew inspiration from Siouxsie and the Banshees` 1988 song `Peek-a-Boo` and aimed to create `rock interpretations of dance`.[4][8] The band worked by initially performing soundchecks with only guitar chords, keyboard notes, and drum beats.[4] Discussing the interplay between rhythm guitarist Okereke and lead guitarist Russell Lissack, Epworth has stated that `Kele will do one thing that creates a great deal of impact, whereas Russell`s very good at subtle embellishments and leading the melodic side of things outside of the vocal`.[10] The band members decided to record the first ten tracks crafted after judging first ideas to often be the best.[7] They `thrived` under the pressure of timed sessions, which lasted only two weeks.[3]

Moakes has indicated that there was no worry about whether a song could be recreated live in concert in the same way as it would appear on record.[13] A brass section and a chamber choir were hired as additional musicians.[6] Drum machines and distorted guitars were used more extensively than in Bloc Party`s previous works to create a sense of manipulation to the basic rock palette.[12] Drummer Matt Tong was initially sceptical of moulding songs with programmed drums, as opposed to using his physical output, but agreed to the idea when the band recorded some of the tracks in their entirety.[9] On some songs, the guitars were disregarded and the band focused solely on the beat. Okereke`s voice was often used as an instrument by being looped, vocoded, or run through effects pedals.[2]
All tracks are written by Bloc Party.

No. Title Length
1. `Ares` 3:30
2. `Mercury` 3:53
3. `Halo` 3:36
4. `Biko` 5:01
5. `Trojan Horse` 3:32
6. `Signs` 4:40
7. `One Month Off` 3:39
8. `Zephyrus` 4:35
9. `Talons` 4:43
10. `Better Than Heaven` 4:22
11. `Ion Square` 6:33

The people involved in the making of Intimacy are the following:[6]

Band

Kele Okereke – lead vocals, rhythm guitar, loops
Russell Lissack – lead guitar
Gordon Moakes – bass guitar, backing vocals, synthesizer, glockenspiel, electronic drums, sampler
Matt Tong – drums, drum machine, backing vocals
Brass section

Avshalom Caspi – brass arrangements
Guy Barker – trumpet
Paul Archibald – trumpet
Sid Gault – trumpet
Derek Watkins – trumpet
Christopher Dean – trombone
Roger Harvey – trombone
Dan Jenkins – trombone
Colin Sheen – trombone
Chamber choir

James Jarvis – music director
The Exmoor Singers of London – sopranos, altos, tenors, basses

Production

Paul Epworth – producer; programming; keyboards
Jacknife Lee – producer; programming; keyboards
Sam Bell – recording; additional programming
Mark Rankin – recording
Phil Rose – recording (choral and brass)
Matt Wiggins – recording assistant
Tom Hough – recording assistant
Alan Moulder – mixing
Darren Lawson – mixing assistant
Guy Davie – mastering
Artwork

Perry Curties – photography
Rob Crane – design