This year see's the release of the fifth studio album be four-piece Bloc Party, entitled "Hymns." This is the first album to feature the band's new line up and a much different sound. Now, this new change of sound may be a brave thing for the band to do, but the execution of said new sound is in a lot of places done very poorly. Lead singer Keke Okereke is out of his range on most of this album, with a lot of his vocal performance missing the mark. His vocal range just can not sustain a majority of the songs on "Hymns," which is a shame because of some of his solid performances on the band's older albums. The older records, especially their classic debut "Silent Alarm" really complemented Keke's vocals and he wasn't trying to sing to far out of his range. Keke and the band also had more energy and passion on their earlier stuff, The departing of drummer Matt Tong is really felt on this album, with his drumming adding a lot of energy and great musicianship to the band's best stuff. The instrumentals range from being okay to just not interesting. The guitar work by long-time member Russel Lissack is pretty good when his playing is actually heard on a song. The album goes for more of a dance feel and less of a post-punk/indie-rock feel, which is what the band is most well remembered for. There're very few moments where it feels like I'm listening to a four-piece rock band and not just a solo album from Keke. The songwriting on this album is pretty mediocre overall. Songs like the slow, balled "Fortress" and the very underwhelming closer "Living Lux" are some of the worst tracks I've heard this year and some of the worst songs I've ever heard by Bloc Party. "Fortress" has some poorly performed vocals and some cringe worthy lyrics that make it hard for me to take the track completely seriously. Other tracks like "Different Drugs" and "My True Name" just do not do anything for me and are just boring. Sadly, this album's higher moments are only just okay. The songs like the lead single "The Love Within" "Only He Can Heal Me," and the only rockier song "Into the Earth" are the album's most interesting and enjoyable listens, but they're no where close to being as good as some of the band's best stuff. "Hymns" is just not a album I want to go back and listen to. It's a record that I want to stop listening to so I can listen to more energetic and more enjoyable music. I do respect the change of sound, but it really doesn't do much for me.

Overall, "Hymns" is a disappointing album and one I don't recommend anybody listen to if they want to get into Bloc Party. Just listen to the band's great debut "Silent Alarm"and enjoy it. I give "Hymns" my rating of a 5.8/10

Favorite Tracks: The Love Within, Only He Can Heal Me, and Into the Earth