New Shins; Bloc Party Albums

Two of the most eagerly anticipated albums of early '07 have been winding their way around that world internet network for quite a while now, so I thought I'd give some short thoughts on them based on first impressions.

The Shins - Wincing the Night Away

Simply put, this record sounds amazing. Most of the tracks manage to grab my attention, and the songwriting has come leaps and bounds. Hopefully this release will catapult the Shins' over and above simply being 'that band Zach Braff loves'.

Bloc Party - A Weekend in the City

On first listen it seems that Bloc Party's style has evolved, but I'm not sure if it's necessarily for the better: the hooks seem fewer and further between, and there's a lot more powerchords here. It almost sounds as if a group of 15-year-old schoolkids just made a band and really wanted to sound like Bloc Party. I'll wait and see what the final mix sounds like.