CD OF THE WEEK

London's Bloc Party already have a mountainous amount of hype behind them. Hailed as 2005's brightest new hopes by most elements of the music press, the agit-pop four-piece have been firmly nailed as this year's Franz Ferdinand. And though they run through the familiar post-punk reference points - from The Fall to Gang Of Four - their jagged, juddering guitars, staccato drums and crafted songs pitch them closer to the acquired taste of The Futureheads than the massive-selling Scots. There is also a dose of early period Police to much of what is going on here. Older tracks such as She's Hearing Voices have been reworked with a new, expansive feel and effects-laden guitars, while newer songs such as the brilliant opener Like Eating Glass and So Here We Are see them mix personal themes with the ambiguously political. Frontman Kele Okereke's voice is Bloc Party's biggest weapon. A rare, nervy treat, it morphs easily from bubbling anger to almost breathless fear. You get the impression that he'll be around long after Bloc's cool star starts to wane. Though this is a sure-footed and mature début album, it is overlong and over-earnest, and lacks some of the upfront chart friendliness and charm that carried Franz Ferdinand to the top. It'll be a record of influence, perhaps, rather than one that soundtracks a million student parties. www.blocparty.com Paul McNamee