Bloc Party - Letter To My Son (2012)

In October 2007 it was announced that Bloc Party would release a new single 'Flux' on 13 November, just ahead of their end of year gigs. 'Flux' was also produced by Jacknife Lee, and was very different from previous singles released by the band, being more electronic-based, and to promore it a four-track remix CD was given away as a cover-mounted freebie with the 14 November 2007 issue of the NME. 'Mercury' was released as the first single from their third album 'Intimacy' in August 2008, with the Jacknife Lee and Paul Epworth-produced album being rush-released later that month. It was made available to download just 3 days after the release was announced, and when they later issued 'Talons' as a single, it had to be made freely available to people who had already downloaded the album as it only appeared on the CD version. An album of remixes of all tracks on 'Intimacy', imaginatively titled 'Intimacy Remixed', was released in May 2009, and the band undertook their first UK tour for nearly two years in October 2009, dubbing it "Bloctober". In July 2009, Okereke stated that the band did not have a current recording contract and had no obligation or pressure to release a new album in the foreseeable future, commenting that the release of a fourth album was on an indefinite timescale. 'One More Chance' was released as a stand-alone single in August 2009, following which the group went on a hiatus, with the members unsure as to whether they would carry on. During this period Lissack revived his project Pin Me Down, and also joined the live line-up of Irish rock-band Ash as guitarist and synthesiser player on their touring for the A–Z Series. Moakes formed the group Young Legionnaire with Paul Mullen, vocalist & guitarist of The Automatic, and William Bowerman, drummer for La Roux, releasing a single, 'Colossus' in August 2010, and Okereke released a solo album, 'The Boxer', in June 2010. Rumours throughout 2011 suggested Okereke had left the group to focus on solo work, but these were proved to be unfounded when they band reunited to start writing material for a fourth album, although they decided not to play live. They stated that they intended to release a new album in 2012, and in August of that year they released 'Four' on Frenchkiss Records, after it was made available to stream in its entirety for over a week preceding release. The album was recorded in New York City with Alex Newport, who had previously worked with At The Drive In and The Mars Volta, and peaked at number 3 on the UK Albums Chart and number 36 on the Billboard 200. They have since released two more albums, 'Hymns' in 2016 and the brand new 'Alpha Games' this year, but the extra tracks on the singles dried up around 2012, so that's a good place to end this short series by one of the best indie bands of the early 2000's.    

Track listing 

01 Flux (single 2007)
02 The Once And Future King (b-side of 'Flux' 2007)
03 Emma Kate's Accident (b-side of 'Flux' CD2 2007)
04 Flux (JFK Remix) (free CD single given away with NME 2007)
05 Idea For A Story (b-side of 'Mercury' 2008)
06 Letter To My Son (bonus track on 'Intimacy' 2008)
07 Your Visits Are Getting Shorter (bonus track on 'Intimacy' 2008)
08 One More Chance (Original Version) (single 2009)
09 Straight Thru Cru (b-side of 'Octopus' 2012)
10 Mean (bonus track from 'Four' 2012)
11 Leaf Skeleton (bonus track from 'Four' 2012