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20 November 2003
Electrelane, On Parade (Beggar's Banquet/Too Pure)
I'm always skeptical of records by bands that announce, "We're not the same band you remember!" I remember Electrelane's 2001 debut Rock It to the Moon, for the most part, as a moody but exciting all-girl farfisa-driven journey through spookhouse cocktail music, superfuzz rave-ups, and twangy freakbeat atmospherica. One listen and I was hooked at just how untidily cohesive yet engaging it was. What's immediately apparent on "On Parade", the title song on Electrelane's new three-track EP, is that they have taken the dreaded new musical direction. Sadly, this direction is towards Anonymousville. While Verity Susman's vocals are more up-front (and her percussive vocal accents are certainly nice touches) in this song, the rest of the band just plugs and chugs behind her. I'm not sure if this EP is a bump in the normally-distinctive Steve Albini's track record of production credits, but there's nothing distinctive going on here. Even the bass-driven instrumental "Teach the Sailor to Pray" is an easy snoozer. This is all a shame, because it's only on the song they didn't write -- a cover of Bruce Springsteen's "I'm on Fire" -- where the band gleams recklessly like they do on their debut. If these three songs are representative of the "new" Electrelane -- or, worse, a more "mature" Electrelane -- then I'd like the old one back. Please.
— Anthony C. Bleach
.: posted by Editor 3:36 PM
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