- Critic score
- Publication
- By date
-
Equally inspired by The Raincoats and Jacques Brel, The Power Out veers from one inspired genre tribute to the next, if it never quite cements the band's identity.
-
Music that at once revels in and transcends rock traditions.
-
But even though the group perfectly defines the way that so many British art-school bands have sounded since the late '70s, in Electrelane's hands it still seems fresh.
-
This is probably destined for the darkest recesses of the John Peel programme, but it deserves the same attention afforded to similar one-offs such as British Sea Power.
-
The sheer ambition of it is staggering at times and you can't help feeling that Electrelane are on the right trajectory.
-
There are gimmicks, but there’s musical merit, and genuine feeling to match the calculated charm.
-
The album carries a compelling intensity among the varied and evocative songs.
-
The result is a tad muddled, with the valleys unfortunately outnumbering the peaks.
-
MojoAn arresting cocktail of post-punk angularity and instinctive pop savy. [Feb 2004, p.102]
-
UncutThe minimalist grooves grow ever tighter. [Feb 2004, p.71]
-
Q MagazineVerity Susman's wayward, fragile Nico-lite vocals will either delight you or drive you nuts. [Mar 2003, p.102]
-
Swapping the winding soundscapes of ‘Rock It To The Moon’ for punchier, vocal-led pieces, Electrelane have struck creative gold.
-
It’s not so much that Electrelane’s signature film score sound has been replaced, more added to and built upon; becoming the veiled framework to a new - almost celebratory - level of contentment.
-
BlenderA heartfelt batch of art-pop that never sounds snobby. [Mar 2004, p.117]
-
They've got better stuff in them, we believe, but, meanwhile, 'The Power Out''s strictly a forty watt affair.
-
Entertainment WeeklyRecalls both early [Philip] Glass and Stereolab, at least until the squaling vocals begin, when it starts to conjure the art brut of punk foremothers like the Raincoats or the Slits. [Listen 2 This supplement, Feb 2004, p.16]
-
The Power Out's most impressive feature is the musicianship and songwriting skill on display.
-
The Power Out may surprise and confuse listeners expecting Rock It redux, and the new album has a few rough patches and a general inconsistency due to Electrelane's willingness to experiment.
-
The WireThere are occasions when vocal inadequacy can be more emotionally fetching than full-throated virtuosity.... This, however, is not one of them. [#239, p.57]
User score distribution:
-
Positive: 10 out of 11
-
Mixed: 0 out of 11
-
Negative: 1 out of 11
-
Pierre-EmmanuelLFeb 17, 2006They have a gift for writing cloudy songs and let the listenner dreamily drift in the music
-
ChisLFeb 18, 2005A bit of a disappointment only in the fact that its clearly not as good as their debut.
-
RickKApr 15, 2004