Bloc Party Unveil 20th Anniversary Reissue of ‘Silent Alarm’

Two decades after their widely praised debut release, English indie-rock stalwarts Bloc Party have revealed plans for a reissue of their Silent Alarm LP.

Planned for release on September 26, the band will release the record as a comprehensive four LP box set. The first pair of LPs contains the original album, while the other two LPs gather a selection of B-sides and rarities, including their 2004 BBC Radio 1 John Peel session and seven demo tracks. Additionally, a two CD reissue and a two LP repress of the album will also be offered.

Silent Alarm was first launched in February 2005 as Bloc Party’s highly-anticipated debut. Following a series of singles and a self-titled EP released the previous year, the album received widespread praise upon its release and climbed to No. 3 in the band’s home U.K. 

In the U.S., the album peaked at No. 114 on the Billboard 200 and reached No. 7 on the Independent Albums chart. It also earned a nomination for the 2005 Mercury Prize, helping to cement the band’s presence on the international scene during the mid-’00s indie-rock surge.

In 2018, Bloc Party revealed a series of global tour dates to perform the album in its entirety for the first time, a venture they are set to continue this year. Kicking off in Mexico in May, the band will perform at the Just Like Heaven festival on May 10, before returning to the U.S. later that month for a series of performances to showcase the album alongside other popular tracks.

“It’s wonderful to revisit those records and recall where I was when I created them, the discussions I had, and the people that surrounded me,” stated frontman Kele Okereke in an interview with Billboard in January. “Those memories resurface when I revisit these songs, though I don’t do that very frequently. 

“I had to do it for Silent Alarm because I needed to relearn the tracks. My inclination has always been to look ahead, but I recognize we’ve achieved something quite remarkable, and sometimes it’s nice to take a moment to reflect on that.”

Bloc Party’s biggest success in the U.S. occurred in 2007 with their sophomore album A Weekend in the City, which reached No. 12 on the Billboard 200. Their latest release, Alpha Games, debuted in April 2022, while Okereke’s most recent solo project, The Singing Winds Pt. 3, was released in January.

• Source: NEWHD MEDIA