Submitted by Lisa, Feb 7, 2007 01:03

[when the song finally snaps as the instruments drop out and Mr. Okereke shouts "East London is a vampire / it sucks the joy right out of me"]
That line right there, to me, sums up a lot of the expressive lyrical content of the album. It brings to mind the ups and downs of party/citylife this group has probably dealt with while on the road and back at home amidst the raging surrounding scene of drugs, music, young culture, and all the usual crap going on. Simple cultural subject matter with a lot of bang is what the album exudes to me. Bret, did you read the Bio section of the digital booklet (included with the iTunes purchase)? I think it does a great job of covering where the band got the inspiration for certain songs and the album as a whole. I can hear how the album's "centre" that Mr. Okereke speaks of is much more clear than that of Silent Alarm. I also notice the themes running throughout each track. I think "A Weekend in the City" speaks loudly of the "Hype" of the industry and gives the listener a taste of what it is like to be experiencing it as a band that just suddenly takes off. I listen to Mr. Okereke shouting and hear how he's dealing with the changes going on in his life, whether he likes them or not... I enjoy how personal the lyrics are and how it makes me feel as if I'm with the group looking around and experiencing all of the ups of the cyclical party/city nights and all of the winding downs of the morning afters. There's a lot of energy behind these new songs and I'm there every step of the way. It brings me back to the blurred memories of the crazy nightlife I experienced shortly in London back in college. Bringing back those fun memories or making me think that I'm experiencing the lifestyle talked about in the lyrics certainly speaks to my heart just a bit. This is a very good review with many valid points, but I think you and I Bret need to hear and experience these new songs live before settling for burying the album on our iPods. I must admit, I'd be dancing in my seat just a bit on that subway.

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