Four [Color Vinyl]

The criminally underrated and often overlooked fourth full-length from post/dance-punk darlings Bloc Party marked the end of their definitive era, as it would be the final album to feature original bassist Gordon Moakes and drummer Matt Tong before creative differences would see them both vacate their positions. Originally released in 2012, four years on from 2008's electronically based Intimacy and two years following primary songwriter Kele Okereke's solo garage-house The Boxer LP; the material on Four harks back to a joke once made in an interview that each album would cater to a specific member's influences. Mixing the indie post-punk of Silent Alarm, the art rock grandeur of A Weekend In The City, and the glitchy dance-punk of the aforementioned Intimacy; what makes Four such a powerful statement is the sheer embracing of their differing forms. From the indie-pop lead single 'Octopus', to the Smashing Pumpkins indebted 90s alt rock triumph of 'Kettling', to the bluegrass-turned-hardcore banger 'Coliseum', there's no denying the swansong quality the project has retrospectively garnered when assessing the fearless and purposeful lack of direction or cohesion throughout. Repressed to vinyl along with the rest of the band's far-too-long out-of-print catalogue, this reissue also comes complete with 2013's The Nextwave Sessions EP; the final recorded output from the OG lineup.