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Rating: The Electrelane are an English alternative rock band that emerged in the early 2000s and are particularly esteemed by the noise king Midas Steve Albini, who is in charge of producing most of their albums.
Their challenging and eclectic debut, Rock it to the Moon, blended post-rock, electronic, and grunge into an album with hypnotic and introverted tracks, showing a distinct tendency towards originality, while simultaneously being devoted to the '90s indie sound that set the United States ablaze over a decade ago. Their follow-up, The Power Out (released on Too Pure), is a more defined and melodic work, like a meeting between early Stereolab and Pixies with Verity Susman's off-key voice and Emma Gaze's offbeat rhythms, who is also the group's designer. Albini's production is definitely felt: muffled sounds, sparse and unmistakable guitars, and a killer bass.
On Parade and Birds (the first carefree and almost harmless, the second sweet and in the Yo la Tengo 'style') were at the time small college rock anthems (as happened for Dinosaur Jr and Throwing Muses in the Nineties) while Take the Bit between your Teeth showcases their garage-rock ambitions.
An enjoyable album, innovative at times in terms of sounds and ideas. A must for lovers of the genre.
They will continue their fruitful collaboration with Albini with their next album as well.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
02 On Parade (02:35)
Stand up against the wall
So I can make you out
Do do you wanna be it?
You take the power out.
One day we'll be wandering
Girl you'll be a dandy
And a deserter
You sit astride your horses
Dressed as Nelson
I wanna see her
I wanna see her
I wanna see her with her horses
Oh yeah
I bet I'd like your underwear
I bet I'd like your underwear
I bet I'd like your underwear
You got it down
You got it down
Uh huh
You got it down
You got it down
03 The Valleys (05:20)
I heard it from the valleys
I heard it ringing in the mountains
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
I heard it from the valleys
I heard him singing in the mountains
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah
Robert, when I drowse to-night
Skirting lawns of sleep to chase
Shifting dreams in mazy light
Somewhere then I'll see your face
Turning back to bid me follow
Where I wag my arms and hollow
Over hedges hasting after
Crooked smile and baffling laughter
We know such dreams are true
He's come back, all mirth and glory
-Running tireless, floating, leaping
-Down your web-hung woods and valleys
-Where the glowworm stars are peeping
Like the prince in a fairy story
-Till I find you, quiet as stone
-On a hill-top all alone
-Staring outward, gravely pondering
-Jumbled leagues of hillock-wandering
Winter called him far away
-You and I have walked together
-In the starving winter weather
-We've been glad because we knew
-Time's too short and friends are few
Blossoms bring him home with May
-We've been sad because we missed
-One whose yellow head was kissed
-By the gods, who thought about him
-Till they couldn't do without him
Now he's here again
Standing in a wood that swings
To the madrigal he sings
And I'm sure, as here I stand,
That he shines through every land
That he sings in every place
Where we're thinking of his face
While we know such dreams are true
05 Take the Bit Between Your Teeth (04:58)
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard and you wanted to tell me
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard and you wanted to tell me
Oh I don't want to hear it
Turn it up
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard
I know you had it hard and you wanted to tell me
That you're the man
That you're the man
That you're the man, you've got all of the answers
I don't think you do
Turn it up yeah yeah
07 Enter Laughing (03:42)
I saw a light And it shone Yeah it shone All around your head My friend there's no time For all our plans Now you're gone There's no way back from here Sometimes I just want to change But the people keep saying You can't give up your own ways Can you tell me how I could be so blind to Ever let you go, when I wanted you around? You know I was just waiting for you to come over I thought that you knew it I never told you that I, I've been looking out for you I've been thinking about you I could, I could, I could, I could, I could, I could, I could not tell you
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