The Underside of Power

Last updated
The Underside of Power
Algiers - The Underside of Power.jpg
Studio album by
Algiers
ReleasedJune 23, 2017 (2017-06-23)
RecordedJune–October 2016
StudioArgot 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
Length44:24
Label Matador
Producer Adrian Utley and Ali Chant
Algiers chronology
Algiers
(2015)		The Underside of Power
(2017)		 There Is No Year
(2020)

The Underside of Power is the second 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.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?8.2/10 [3]
Metacritic 86/100 [4]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Alternative Press Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [5]
The A.V. Club A [6]
Financial Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [7]
The Irish Times Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [8]
The Observer Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Pitchfork 5.8/10 [10]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [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

PublicationCountryAccoladeRank
American Songwriter USAmerican Songwriter's Top 25 Albums of 201715 [14]
Magnet USTop Albums of 201724[ citation needed ]
PopMatters USThe Best Indie Rock of 20171 [15]
Spectrum CultureUSTop 20 Albums of 201717 [16]
Under the Radar USUnder the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 201736 [17]
The Village Voice US Pazz & Jop 201729 [18]
Gigwise UKGigwise's 51 Best Albums of 201726 [19]
MusicOMH UKmusicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 201713 [20]
The Quietus UKQuietus Albums Of The Year 201724 [21]
State IrelandState's Albums of 201724[ citation needed ]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
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

Additional musicians

Technical

Charts

Chart (2017)Peak
position
Switzerland (Schweizer Hitparade) [22] 69

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Jurek, Thom. "The Underside of Power – Algiers". AllMusic . Retrieved January 16, 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Underside Of Power". Matador . Retrieved 22 June 2017.
  3. ↑ "The Underside Of Power by Algiers reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved August 29, 2019.
  4. 1 2 "Reviews and Tracks for The Underside of Power by Algiers". Metacritic . CBS Interactive . Retrieved June 22, 2017.
  5. ↑ LeRoy, Dan (June 23, 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power". Alternative Press . Archived from the original on June 23, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  6. ↑ O'Neal, Sean (June 20, 2017). "Algiers' The Underside Of Power is the album 2017 needs". The A.V. Club . Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  7. ↑ Hunter-Tilney, Ludovic (June 23, 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power — 'a fierce yowl of outrage'" . Financial Times . Retrieved May 11, 2019.
  8. ↑ Jones, Chris (June 22, 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power – an electrifying stew of post-punk and hollering Stax soul". The Irish Times . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  9. ↑ Mongredien, Phil (June 25, 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power review – righteous, intelligent rock". The Observer . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  10. ↑ Pearce, Sheldon (July 1, 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power". Pitchfork . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  11. ↑ Dolan, Jon (June 23, 2017). "Review: Post-Punkers Algiers Find New Way to Mangle the Blues". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 24, 2018.
  12. ↑ Pattison, Louis (July 2017). "Algiers: The Underside of Power". Uncut (242): 23.
  13. ↑ Christgau, Robert (August 25, 2017). "Robert Christgau on the Soul and Fury of Hamell on Trial and Algiers". Vice . Retrieved August 26, 2017.
  14. ↑ "American Songwriter's Top 25 Albums of 2017: Presented by D'Addario « American Songwriter". American Songwriter. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  15. ↑ "The Best Indie Rock of 2017". PopMatters. 2017-12-04. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  16. ↑ "Top 20 Albums of 2017". Spectrum Culture. 2017-12-20. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  17. ↑ "Under the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 2017 | Under the Radar - Music Magazine". undertheradarmag.com. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  18. ↑ "Pazz & Jop: It's Kendrick's and Cardi's World. We're All Just Living in It". www.villagevoice.com. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  19. ↑ "Gigwise's 51 Best Albums of 2017". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  20. ↑ "musicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 2017 | Lists". musicOMH. 2017-12-22. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  21. ↑ "The Quietus | Features | Quietus Charts | Quietus Albums Of The Year 2017, In Association With Norman Records". The Quietus. Retrieved 2019-02-26.
  22. ↑ "Algiers – The Underside of Power". Swiss Singles Chart. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
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