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. 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.
Critical reception
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".
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."
Accolades +PublicationCountryAccoladeRankAmerican SongwriterUSAmerican Songwriter's Top 25 Albums of 201715MagnetUSTop Albums of 201724PopMattersUSThe Best Indie Rock of 20171Spectrum CultureUSTop 20 Albums of 201717Under the RadarUSUnder the Radar's Top 100 Albums of 201736The Village VoiceUSPazz & Jop 201729GigwiseUKGigwise's 51 Best Albums of 201726MusicOMHUKmusicOMH's Top 50 Albums Of 201713The QuietusUKQuietus Albums Of The Year 201724StateIrelandState's Albums of 201724
Track listing
Personnel All personnel credits courtesy of AllMusic.
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) Peakposition
References
External links The Underside of Power LP