Bloc Party - Silent Alarm Remixed
[Wichita]

With the sudden uprise in success and popularity for Bloc Party, it's not surprising they have become the subjects of the obligatory remix package. This new album is the entire running order of the band's Silent Alarm debut, remixed by twelve artists and a cover version of Luno by Death From Above 1979. With Bloc Party's new single Two More Years set to be unleashed next month and their second album scheduled for an early 2006 release, it's unclear as to why the band have resorted to this quick cash-in product.

Bloc Party's music has always head a dancey edge to it, with their combination of angular rhythms, pounding drums and spiky guitars, so it comes as no shock that most of the tracks included on Silent Alarm take a similar approach.

Ladytron add thick layers of synthesizers and frantic drum machines to their version of Like Eating Glass, turning it into an electroclash dance smash. Whitey, this month's favourite producer adds live drums and lays huge emphasis on the guitars making Helicopter into a rough around-the-edges garage rock track. Jason Clark includes stuttered drum beats and deep bass into the glitchy reworking of Positive Tension, but Mogwai make a futuristic post-rock version of Plans.

As a whole album, Silent Alarm Remixed is better than your average remix package. with the majority of songs adding something fairly new or interesting to the tracks. It's only let down by the sub-standard fillers from a handful of musicians that include Dave Piankas, Engineers and sloth-like ambience of M83's mix. This CD should do nicely as a companion to Silent Alarm or help relieve the strain for impatient fans until the new album is available.