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Axes

by

Electrelane

 
Axes

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Avg: 4.0 (71 ratings)

  • We Say...

    You can't really call the compositions on this album songs — that doesn't really do them justice. They're too layered and complex for that, and they evoke a feeling rather than a story, like aural scenery. But don't mistake this for background music, or even for a simple soundtrack; deciphering the complexities of this third album from the all-female British quartet demands active listening.

    Axes departs from the band's previous album The Power Out, exploring a pared-down and at times darker sound. And even with the noteworthy absence of vocals (for the most part), Axes finds Electrelane's distinctive style intact.

    The tracks pulsate through sometimes jarring changes, from uncannily chaotic to beguilingly soothing. The standout "If Not Now, When" contrasts light, playful piano melodies against opaque bass and guitar rhythms, the interaction becoming increasingly contentious as the song progresses; the lyrical "Eight Steps" plays like a silent film caper, and the hypnotic interlude "Atom's Tomb" vividly evokes barren landscapes and gothic mystery.

    "Those Pockets Are People" gives way to a fierce cover of Leonard Cohen's "The Partisan," a cathartic resolution to the album's omnipresent tension. Vocals resurface on the closer "Suitcase," a symphony in itself that ebbs and flows with surging guitar hooks and mesmerizing organ chords. Alternating between comfort and frenzy, Axes is a manic turn and, like a good mystery, it leaves the listener wondering what she might hear next.

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