Recess music: Bloc party

A Weekend in the City, Bloc Party's sophomore release-following the 2005 smash hit Silent Alarm-is at once a more mature and more experimental album. Departing from the danceable, rhythm-heavy architecture of Silent Alarm in favor of a distinctively spacier, vocals-centered approach, A Weekend is Bloc Party's attempt to add a certain gravitas to modern Britpop.

Although influences from the likes of the Smiths and other bands from decades past are apparent throughout, lead singer Kele Okereke continually reflects on issues of particular concern to today's increasingly disenchanted teens and twenty-somethings. On "Where is Home?" Okereke sings of veiled racism and his personal identity issues as a second-generation Nigerian immigrant; on "Song for Clay" he recalls the crushing emptiness of London life.

In tackling these pressing issues, A Weekend often comes across as theatrical and over-produced, but the foundation that made Silent Alarm such a huge success still remains. A Weekend is a successful and thought-provoking album that will keep listeners wondering as to where Bloc Party is going next.