The Underside of Power
2017 studio album by Algiers
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The Underside of Power is the second studio album by American experimental band Algiers. The album was released through Matador Records on June 23, 2017.[2] The album was produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead and his frequent collaborator Ali Chant. It was also the band's first album to feature drummer Matt Tong as a full-time member.
| The Underside of Power | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | June 23, 2017 | |||
| Recorded | June–October 2016 | |||
| Studio | Argot Studio, New York Figure 8, New York Goat Farm, Atlanta Real World, Bath Rex Studios, London Strange Weather, New York Walker Studios, New York[1] | |||
| Genre | Gospel, post-punk, industrial, punk blues | |||
| Length | 44:24 | |||
| Label | Matador | |||
| Producer | Adrian Utley and Ali Chant | |||
| Algiers chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AnyDecentMusic? | 8.2/10[3] |
| Metacritic | 86/100[4] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| Alternative Press |  [5] |
| The A.V. Club | A[6] |
| Financial Times | [7] |
| The Irish Times | [8] |
| The Observer | [9] |
| Pitchfork | 5.8/10[10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| Uncut | 7/10[12] |
| Vice | A−[13] |
The Underside of Power received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".[4]
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote that, "Algiers ultimately turn doomsday on its head unexpectedly. On The Underside of Power, they assert that even amid violence, darkness, and horror, that the human spirit is affirmed through witness and resistance, leading not only to solace but to redemption."[1]
Accolades
| Publication | Country | Accolade | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| American Songwriter | US | American Songwriter's Top 25 Albums of 2017 | 15[14] |
| Magnet | US | Top Albums of 2017 | 24[citation needed] |
| PopMatters | US | The Best Indie Rock of 2017 | 1[15] |
| Spectrum Culture | US | Top 20 Albums of 2017 | 17[16] |
| Under the Radar | US | Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2017 | 36[17] |
| The Village Voice | US | Pazz & Jop 2017 | 29[18] |
| Gigwise | UK | Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2017 | 26[19] |
| MusicOMH | UK | musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2017 | 13[20] |
| The Quietus | UK | Quietus Albums Of The Year 2017 | 24[21] |
| State | Ireland | State's Albums of 2017 | 24[citation needed] |
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Walk Like a Panther" | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Cry of the Martyrs" | 4:03 |
| 3. | "The Underside of Power" | 4:12 |
| 4. | "Death March" | 4:31 |
| 5. | "A Murmur. A Sign." | 3:43 |
| 6. | "Mme Rieux" | 3:34 |
| 7. | "Cleveland" | 3:46 |
| 8. | "Animals" | 2:33 |
| 9. | "Plague Years" | 2:52 |
| 10. | "Hymn for an Average Man" | 4:10 |
| 11. | "Bury Me Standing" | 2:25 |
| 12. | "The Cycle/The Spiral: Time to Go Down Slowly" | 5:25 |
Personnel
All personnel credits courtesy of AllMusic.[1]
Algiers
- Franklin James Fisher – cello, double bass, drum programming, guitar, keyboards, percussion, piano, sampling, synthesizer, tambourine, vocals, wurlitzer
- Ryan Mahan – bass, drum programming, guitar, baritone guitar, sampling, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Lee Tesche – cymbals, guitar, harmonium, loop, music box, percussion, prepared guitar, prepared piano, saxophone, synthesizer, backing vocals
- Matt Tong – chimes, drones, drums, glockenspiel, guitar, percussion, backing vocals
Additional musicians
- Ashiya Eastwood – backing vocals
- Jessica Upton Crowe – backing vocals
- Travis Ono – backing vocals
Technical
- Adrian Utley – producer, drum machine, guitar, moog bass, synthesizer
- Ali Chant – producer, guitar, backing vocals
- Alex Weston – engineer
- Ben Greenberg – additional production, engineer
- Chris Kyles – engineer
- Jason Ward – mastering
- Macks Faulkron – engineer, guitar, percussion
- Oli Jacobs – engineer
- Patrick Phillips – engineer
- Paul Reust – engineer
- Randall Dunn – mixing
- Will Smith – mixing assistant
Charts
| Chart (2017) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade)[22] | 69 |