* Don't bother ** Worth a listen ***Turn it up ****Buy it *****Exceptional

So maybe there was just a little too much positive tension this time around. A much-awaited follow-up to their 2005 album Silent Alarm, Bloc Party's Feb. 6th release of A Weekend in the City just wasn't up to the usual caliber.

I hope you weren't holding your breath.

This trans-pop album offers a small dose of the variety found in their last performance, but wasn't able to cover the range they once had. Too much fame and not enough humble indie struggle made Bloc Party just another British rock band.

A key element missing in this new Bloc Party parade that made its last album so fulfilling was its effective use of synthesizer to create an attractive assortment of sounds. Not so much here, they've produced more of a typical British pop-rock album which doesn't have the heart of the band's old sound.

With little overlap, Silent Alarm had very distinguishable sounds from track to track. From fast-paced and poppy to slow and trancy, it developed a certain style distinctly Bloc Party. Most songs on this new album start with catchy intro, but tend to blend into a similar sound.

While there is still a bit of Bloc Party fever running through this disk, A Weekend in the City just wasn't able to uphold the old style. They were full of not-so-sharp hooks that just become more monotonous and poppy than catchy. There were only a few tracks that really caught my ear and stood out as gems, or at least convincing imposter stones.

One of the most memorable tracks on the album was the "The Prayer," which was also released as a single. You know you've run into a band-gone-mainstream when the best song on the album is also the most played on the radio. There are just no surprises. Too bad.

Lyrically the band went a bit soft. From lines such as "Feeling rejection, I'll burn down your house," found on Silent Alarm to "I'll love you in the morning when you're still hung over," on this new jewel, you notice the creativity slack a bit.

Vocalist Kele Okereke, whose unique-sounding to voice usually adds to the performance just didn't pack the innovative punch this album needed. Failing to exercise the range of sounds he gave Bloc Party fans on the last album leads good bands down lame paths.

One thing this album does have is a feeling of maturity. They tightened up their sound a lot, giving it a more mature sound than Silent Alarm. Tragically, they may have tightened a little too much. They really stayed within a safe box this time around. This technique is fine if your last album wasn't full of risks, both successful and unsuccessful.

This time around, Bloc Party is the one who is just as boring as everyone else.

— Jen Ludington