1. Like Eating Glass
2. Helicopter
3. Positive Tension
4. Banquet
5. Blue Light
6. She's Hearing Voices
7. This Modern Love
8. The Pioneers
9. Price of Gasoline
10. So Here We Are
11. Luno
12. Plans
13. Compliments
    

Bloc Party's debut album takes its paradoxical title from an earthquake monitoring system.  The album itself should send seismic waves through the British indie-pop scene in 2005.  It is a wonderfully eclectic album of spiky pop tunes and atmospheric slow burners.  Each of the first eleven tracks is strong enough in its own right to be considered worthy of release as a single.  Indeed it could be Bloc Party's mission to save the endangered species that is the single.  At the time of writing 'She's Hearing Voices', 'Banquet',  non-album track 'Little Thoughts', 'Helicopter' and 'So Here We Are' have all been released as singles.

Influences on Bloc Party are clear.  'Like Eating Glass' has a Pixies-like intro.  'Banquet' and 'Price of Gas' have the imprint of Gang of Four.  'So Here We Are' recalls the Mekons, and throughout the album it is clear that Bloc Party have listened to a lot of the Cure.  

Musically Bloc Party have distilled the essence of these seminal bands and created a fresh modern sound.  Lyrically, Bloc Party successfully combine political statement and personal emotion, but the tone is neither hectoring nor self-important.  'Silent Alarm' is a really accomplished debut from a band with plenty to say and a fine way of saying it.