IN TERMS of opening statements, the very few that have a lasting effect tend to be the ones that really hit you hard, like Get out of they way. Or get ****ed up.
Now obviously my sensitive disposition isnt that sensitive, but having this chanted at you, as if there were cheerleaders in between the brawls in Gladiator, does knock you back a little.
Welcome to Intimacy, the third Bloc Party album.
Well, I say that in the loosest way possible, because on October 27, the full album comes out. This is the taster.
But, after Mercury and Flux, no one knew what to expect and with this the answer is a bit clearer.
Of course, Ill get back to that answer later. Next on the CD (sorry, download) comes Mercury, the Marmite track.
Its hard to know what actually happens during the song, but needless to say its one hell of a ride going through it, Okerekes lyrics slowly piercing the drums, and boy is there a lot of drums, that surround the bursts of horn.
Surprisingly, it fits in rather neatly here, even if its flaws are highlighted by the sudden burst of Halo.
Halo will appease the fans that have been begging for a return to the sound of Silent Alarm.
Its straight up riff wouldnt be out of place on Guitar Hero, its subtle blend of heavy music and passionate lyrics about, err, passion with another person, fit to make a satisfying and cohesive whole.
Trojan Horse, posted online a day or two before the download became available, feels like the concluding part of Halo, a chemistry that has turned sour.
Of course, this is about the first instance where the lyrics seem to be on a bit of a slope with the classic You used to take your watch off before we made love you didnt want to share our time with anyone.
Still, if that almost ruins the song then the chugging solo saves it, with finger acrobatics so nimble, youd just check that it says Bloc Party, not Iron Maiden.
However, the title, Intimacy, does have an importance on the album, as it draws on the life of Okereke.
So, the more lyrical based problems dont matter as much, because of the subject matter, a man clearly trying to connect with someone.
Which makes Signs that bit more special. Its similar to B-side Selfish Son with the return of the glockenspiel used and the slow build to the strings mournfully supplying the tune.
If the first half fulfils the press release of It sounds a bit like Silent Alarm then the second half is where the band seem to have been let loose, picking apart their conventional sound and piecing it together.
Which is exactly what One Mouth Off does, with the confrontational burst of I can be as cruel as you, fighting lies with lies.
Its a testament to the rhythm side of the band that the song works, especially as the song (literally) breaks up into tiny fragments at the end.
The only stutter on the album on the album is Zephyrus, which is too understated and never threatens to come alive, not that its without merit, with the song relying on Tongs drums and Okerekes voice, before a choir (!) comes into to provide the tune. Few will be able to whistle it.
The only track that sounds like conventional Bloc Party would have to be Ion Square. Although the lyrical nature of the album is dealing with a break up, it sounds as Okereke has found contentment, and dare we say it, happiness, with the ever-building wall of sound behind him screaming This will be an anthem.
The real problem with the album is that there are clearly two in here.
At 10 songs, theres too many ideas being pushed around and experimented with for all of them to have effect; Mercury just fades in nicely, almost unnoticeably next to Halo, while Zephyrus and Better Than Heaven are just too similar in tone, and become too much when listened together, while listened individually have many hidden charms.
Depending whats offered on the final version, this could become a missed opportunity or a possibly classic album.
While the two producers have bore fruitful gains, the volume of ideas does make the album obtuse on early listens, but as the album unfurls, it shows a band pushing themselves to the edge of what they, and in some respects the scene they have grown from can do. Expect Mercury rip-offs in 12 months' time.
What's on 
