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'''''The Power Out''''' is the second album by English [[Rock music|rock]] group [[Electrelane]]. It was released on compact disc and [[Gramophone record|vinyl]] in 2004 by [[Too Pure]]. It was recorded in Chicago, Illinois in early 2003 by [[Steve Albini]]. The album's lead single, "On Parade" was a hit on college radio.<ref>{{cite web
==Background==
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===Signing with Too Pure===
The band's first release, ''[[Rock It to the Moon]]'' received limited commercial response due to limited distribution, promotion and exposure. The band signed with Too Pure, a member of the [[Beggars Banquet Records|Beggars Group]] for their follow-up. As drummer Emma Gaze explained, the new label had "so many people and departments, and we knew, purely for that reason, that there would be more response to the new album."<ref name="SFBG">{{cite web
Critics also commented that Too Pure was a good fit for Electrelane, as many of the other label's acts (such as [[Stereolab]] and [[Th' Faith Healers]]) shared similarities with the group.<ref name="AMG"/><ref name="DiS">{{cite web
===Production===
The band brought in producer Steve Albini for ''The Power Out''. Initially, Mia Clarke had contacted him to try to get a spot on the [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties (ATP)]] music festival. The roster had already been filled, but Albini wrote back to the band telling them to contact him if they wanted to work with him in the future.<ref name="SFBG"/> The band went to Steve Albini's [[Electrical Audio]] studio in Chicago, Illinois and recorded the album in a break-free three-week period from April to May 2003.<ref name="Neumu">{{cite web
Electrelane still handled production duties, while Albini was in charge of recording and mixing. With ''Rock It to the Moon'' using [[Overdubbing|overdubs]] and [[Pro Tools]] mixing, Albini was renowned for frills-free, all-analog recording, generally keeping [[Effects unit|effects]] to a minimum; he used these techniques on ''The Power Out'' as well.
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==Content==
''The Power Out'' is perhaps best characterised by a "startling and unique" "stylistic hodgepodge".<ref name="Pitchfork">{{cite web
The album opener, "Gone Under Sea" is sung entirely in French. The following song, "On Parade" was inspired by [[Radclyffe Hall]]'s 1928 lesbian novel, ''[[The Well of Loneliness]]''. A large part of the lyrics in "The Valleys" come from [[Siegfried Sassoon]]'s 1917 poem "A Letter Home" (from ''[[The Old Huntsman]]'').<ref name="SFBG"/> The title of the fifth track, "Take The Bit Between Your Teeth," is another reference to The Well of Loneliness. The literary references continue on the sixth track, with "Oh Sombra!" The song's Spanish lyrics are a [[sonnet]] by 16th century [[Catalonia|Catalan]] poet [[Juan Boscán Almogáver]]. Finally, on "This Deed" the German lyrics are from [[Friedrich Nietzsche]]'s ''[[The Gay Science|Die fröhliche Wissenschaft]]'' followed by the inclamation "Hände hoch!" (or "Hands up!"). The lyrical content reflects a departure from the band's earlier album, which was almost entirely instrumental.
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==Critical reception==
{{Album ratings
|MC = 78/100<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/the-power-out/electrelane|title=Reviews for The Power Out by Electrelane|publisher=[[Metacritic]]|
|rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
|rev1score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref name="AMG">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/the-power-out-mw0000333335|title=The Power Out – Electrelane|publisher=[[AllMusic]]|
|rev2 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
|rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://blender.com/reviews/review_1787.html|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|magazine=Blender|issue=24|date=March 2004|
|rev3 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]''
|rev3score = A−<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|issue="Listen 2 This" supplement|date=February 2004|page=16}}</ref>
|rev4 = ''[[The Guardian]]''
|rev4score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2004/jan/30/popandrock.shopping6|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=30 January 2004|
|rev5 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]''
|rev5score = {{Rating|3.5|4}}<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-apr-11-ca-rack11-story.html|title=Follow-up transcends traditions|work=Los Angeles Times|date=11 April 2004|
|rev6 = ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]''
|rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|journal=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]|issue=123|date=February 2004|page=102}}</ref>
|rev7 = ''[[The Observer]]''
|rev7score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite news|url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/omm/10bestcds/story/0,12102,1133072,00.html|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|work=[[The Observer]]|date=1 February 2004|
|rev8 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
|rev8score = 7.5/10<ref>{{cite web|url=http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/2723-the-power-out/|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|work=Pitchfork|date=1 March 2004|
|rev9 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]''
|rev9score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|title=Electrelane: The Power Out|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=212|date=March 2004|page=102}}</ref>
|rev10 = ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]''
|rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.uncut.co.uk/music/electrelane/reviews/6919|title=Electrelane – The Power Out|magazine=Uncut|issue=81|date=February 2004|
}}
Critical reception to ''The Power Out'' was generally very positive. While the band's use of other languages and literary references may have been referred to as gimmicks, they were regarded as gimmicks with merit.<ref name="Stylus">{{cite web
==Track listing==
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