i feel that i should be slightly apologetic, for reviewing this so late after the release. i actually was exposed to electrelane at a live show with le tigre in 2005. i was hooked, HOOKED after seeing these incredibly talented women perform. it took ages to find "the power out" in hard copy at the local record store, but since i've obtained it, i've relished every nostalgic moment of seeing them live and have consistently put this as my top played songs.

i don't feel that i could more adequately describe their tracks as the very able reviewers below me, but i can say that this is the most hidden jewel of all experimental-indie bands out there. almost every song evokes a very strong emotional response from within, and i have to say, if you're a person who loves being solitary and lean more towards the creative, i'd recommend this album whole-heartedly. it's an anthem album for the melancholy, but secure in their aloneness.

I heard "the Valley" and loved it. The rest of the CD is nothing like the valley- but I still enjoy the songs. Reminds me a little of elastica. I put this on my harddrive and mixed it in with some other punky stuff- nice to have female voices in there too.

Having just been exposed to Joy Division this summer, it's hard for this reviewer to ignore the similar kind of vibes I get from this, the second LP from Brighton's Electrelane. Steve Albini [The Pixies, Nirvana] seems to restrain his usually dirty production for the whole of this album with the exception of "Take The Bit Between Your Teeth" in lieu of doing his best Martin Hannett impression and even then doesn't do over the top. The all girl group is for all intents and purposes frozen on record in this sparse and doomy yet morbidly moving piece of desolation in a fairly timeless fashion for future generations to discover. The overall sound is much like Patti Smith fronting Ian Curtis' ill-fated band specifically on the "Free Money" influenced "Birds" [Horses, "Birds" ... Hmmm] except for the crisp quality of sound which time and technology have afforded us. Most of the time I'm forced to imagine a stilted Verity Susman, lead singer, screaming out into the night from some isolated, dark alley in the lower/middle class section of a decaying, country nonspecific metropolis, one of the last romantics suffering for the sins of a generation whose idea of love comes from and dies in J. Lo movies and McDonald's commercials. Music this soulful has no right to be made in the 21st century.

what?
where is this studio located? The studio they recorded the album in...
In an apartment house with very thin walls? angry old people living next door? It seems like it. Otherwise i could not understand these girls. It seems like they cannot afford to play like they would like to play. That they have to be restrained, do their thing quietly, cautiously not to aggravate their nighbours. Or maybe there is a little baby next door, trying to go to sleep and girls of course are well-natured and do not want to disturb.
Or maybe they just had really bad hang-overs from the party last night while recording it.

TAKE THAT BIT BETWEEN YOUR TEETH and THIS DEED would surely rock a lot if they just turned the guitars louder a bit! BIRDS would rip your heart out, if they just managed to put a bit more soul in it! The instrumental YOU MAKE ME WEAK AT THE KNEES would make JIM O'ROURKE jealous, if they just managed to make it sound a bit more sincere. would would would.

I like indie-rock. And i want to be hip and listen to new cool things (like all of us, right). And i wanted to give this album five stars, but just couldn't. Sorry. It has content, but it is brought to us just too poorly. No wonder people like their live performances. Because concerts are usually held in a place, they don't have angry music-haters-neighbours next door. Right? For one track these girls even call the old tired neighbours in and recorded a song together with them (THE VALLEYS).
THE POWER went OUT and never came back?

Soft acoustic indie rock is the content of Electrelane's "The Power Out." The UK quartet has a nice grip on catchy melodies and some interesting instrumentation, but it's held back by a lack of internal cohesion. Oh yes, and the lyrics are just terrible.

The steady "Gone Under Sea" starts the album on a slightly dull note, before expanding out into the poppy "On Parade," the charming drum-led "Birds," the bass-laden country-rocker "Take The Bit Between Your Teeth," bass-keyboard "This Deed," and the gentle ballad "Oh Sombra." It finishes up on a quirky note with the drums'n'keyboard "You Make Me Weak At The Knees."

Electrelane has a pretty good thing going in "The Power Out," even if it never quite takes off -- they do a good job, but it lacks cohesion and enthusiasm. What they lack in fire, they at least make up in versatility -- they mix in some French, German and Spanish songs, taken from the writings of Nietzsche and a sonnet by Juan Boscon.

Probably the best thing about "The Power Out" is the keyboards. Verity Susman manages the sound of an organ in "Love Builds Up," before switching to a sweeping piano solo at the end of the album. Emma Gaze's drums get to both serve as the backdrop and the front instrumentation, while Rachel Dalley and Mia Clarke do some solid background work on, respectively, the bass and guitar.

Susman's vocals are a bit slurred and bland, and often they get buried under the music so you can't tell what she's saying. Of course, given some of the lyrics, that might be a good thing -- typical pop sensibilities, except the writing is blander. "I want to see you/More than anything/Babe I miss you/All day and everyday " is one typical example. Not to mention the vaguely icky "I bet I'd like your underwear" chorus.

Despite the weird, ultra-simplistic lyrics and a few musical duds, "The Power Out" is a pleasany sample of British indie-rock, with plenty of variety and a few artier flourishes. An interesting if flawed listen.