August 18, 2008

By By Jonathan Cohen, N.Y.

Bloc Party will make its third album, "Intimacy," available for digital download Thursday (Aug. 21), more than three months in advance of its Oct. 28 physical street date via Atlantic.

The CD will contain as-yet-unnamed "different tracks" from the digital version, according to the band. Fans who opt to pre-order "Intimacy" in physical form via BlocParty.com will receive the digital version immediately.

The band says the decision to go digital so far ahead of physical was based on the early leak of its 2007 album, "A Weekend in the City." That set has sold 148,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The 10-track "Intimacy," produced by Paul Epworth and Jacknife Lee, is led by the single "Mercury," which debuted yesterday at No. 16 on the U.K. singles chart.

Here is the track list for "Intimacy":

"Ares"
"Mercury"
"Halo"
"Biko"
"Trojan Horse"
"Signs"
"One Month Off"
"Zephyrus"
"Better Than Heaven"
"Ion Square"

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