Bloc Party Rarities

Over a month ago on this very web-log my partner wrote about the thin line between fandom and obsession in reference to his own interest in the band Kings of Leon, his thesis specifically referring to the hording of their b-sides as testament to his obsession. While I enjoy the music of Kings of Leon, Andy is more obsessed with their music than I happen to be.

I tend to accumulate a fair amount of b-sides from just about any band, but really only if the songs happen to be good. There are only a few bands I will collect every possible recording from, so it didn’t take much thought for me to determine a substitute for Kings of Leon if determining my own fanaticism levels. The band that best fits this description – with Andy as a fan and myself a maniacal horder, is Bloc Party.

I first heard the band back in what I think was late 2004 before their debut album was released. I bought the cd the first day based solely on the strength of the only song I had heard at the time (I didn’t have the internet.) I soon enabled nearly every person I know to join in my consumption of the band’s music. Since that time my obsession has only grown.

With each subsequent album I’ve obtained any and all forms of Bloc Party music by whatever means necessary. Be it a new song or b-side, live rendition or remix (sometimes several versions of the same original song), if it’s out there I have to have it.

While that is all well and good, part of the problem with this post is that any song I choose to make available will most indubitably have been written about and made available by at least five different music weblogs already in existence. It seems the music consuming public that uses Hype Machine go gaga over mash-ups, remixes, and b-sides. This makes the very title of this post dubious at best. Therefore I just chose a few songs I love that are not on any of the studio releases from the band.

Bloc Party – Hunting for Witches (Crystal Castles Remix) (mp3)

While not technically on any singles release from the band this is perhaps my favorite song and definitely my favorite remix ever.

Bloc Party – We Were Lovers (mp3) from The Prayer Single

This song was part of the blog-inspired fictional Another Weekend In the City.

Bloc Party – The Once and Future King (mp3) from Flux 7″

Another song considered part of the fictional Another Weekend In the City, this song was actually track twelve of the version of A Weekend In the City that I purchased.

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