You can say what you want about the bands that Bloc Party mimics—Smashing Pumpkins, The Smiths, The Pixies or what have you—but the musical style most at play in their new album is that of no musical style at all: unpleasant sonic experimentation. “Intimacy” is hurried and impersonal; each of the 12 tracks takes on an unorganized style of wailing on about lonely recluses in a tough and unsympathetic world.

Bloc Party’s Radiohead-style release surprised fans with a short-notice issue to prevent leaks. A digital version was available online on August 21, while the physical album is to be released on October 27.

After releasing the phenomenal “Silent Alarm” in 2005 and the mediocre-at-best “Weekend in the City” in 2007, front man and lyricist Kele Okereke spoke of “Intimacy” as his “break up album”: driving, forceful and inspired. Instead, it comes across as angry, forced and completely insipid.

Rather than the promised intimate sound, the album begins with unintelligible lyrics and howling guitar in “Ares”. Okereke attempts to express emotion not by pronouncing every syllable, but meshing his voice with the electronic trialing. With a call and response format, he chants “War! War! War!” in a Mulan-like battle cry. If this musical laboratory doesn’t get old by the end of the first track, “Mercury” chimes in with a catchier electronic sound that makes use of trumpets and is nearly guitar-less. Though it is ready for a club dance floor, its one line would not get past the bouncer. “In any part of the world, from Silver Lake to Williamsburg, you can pick another stranger and fall in love,” Okereke beckons. Inspired? I think not. Hopeless and cynical? That’s more of the familiar and honest breakup tale.

One track I was able to get through without pining away for my beloved “Silent Alarm” tracks was “Signs.” It begins with soft xylophone, refreshing after the screeching of non-instrumental sounds for five straight tracks, and unfolds into a more gentle love song with a mid-tempo, without being too over the top. Just don’t listen too closely to the lyrics, not just because you will be frustrated and unable to understand them, but because they’re awful. If I took one thing from this album, it would be the best advice that Okereke gives, in the track “Biko”: “Toughen up, this world isn’t kind to little beings.” There’s the cynical drive that makes me love angry rock that flirts with punk.

So did Bloc Party really derail their proverbial train with this failed experiment?  I think not. Imprudent tests aside, the energy that Bloc Party presents in its recordings is unquestionable. While they fail to strike a balance and experiment before actually producing the tracks, Bloc Party is not interested in the rock-god status of their predecessors, but rather in taking what they left and making something new. They need the criticism of this album to get back on track and keep with the charge of their beginnings.