Bloc Party, "Intimacy" ★★★

London indie-rock band Bloc Party can really sound a lot like Joy Division or the Cure at times, and then can take wildly divergent turns that sound more like a Gregorian chant choir. Past hits like "Banquet" and "Helicopter" have had the insistent rhythm of late '80s guitars that make you think these guys are holding nightly séances with Ian Curtis and Robert Smith (for the record, Smith is not dead, he just looks like he is). Then you hear "The Prayer" and you are swept to a mid-13th century monastery where you better damn well make your repentance good.

So this week, they release their third album, "Intimacy," and what becomes immediately apparent is that these guys are good. It is a pretty exciting album. A highlight is the track "Signs", which is simple in the vocal department, but is accompanied by a beautiful xylophone type of deal which just works. Midway through the song you are really hooked. From there, the emotional urgency of tracks like "Talons" take on added importance and weight.

Other highlights of this new release are "Mercury." with its very weird horns. and "Flux." which I could definitely imagine grooving to in a late-night discothèque in Barcelona. I also imagine a lot of gorgeous women in this discotheque. And they are all hanging out with me and I am an awesome dancer in this dream I am having. That would be so cool. Man.

What was I talking about again? Oh, yeah - Bloc Party! They are great. I would definitely recommend this CD. I kind of have to check out some travel arrangements, so I am going to end this review now. Adios amigos!

• Andy Kline is the program director over at Excellent Radio, KXLL-FM, 100.7. You can listen to him there, but he might be in Barcelona by the time you are reading this.