Search - Electronic :: Raise the Pressure

Well....I listened a few more times.

Joel Kathrens | Cheney, WA USA | 05/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Well, I was looking through some old reviews I'd written recently when I came upon one I'd written about Electronic's "Raise the Pressure". I was shocked and disgusted at this fool who had been me but a year ago yet somehow seemed to be such a poor judge of good music. Well, I guess that's what happens when you only listen to an album a few times. Well, I've listened to it more times than I can count now so you can trust me when I say that this is just about as good as Electronic's first album. While it is different, the Pet Shop Boys influence being gone and a little bit of Alternative music influence in its place, every song manages to be memorable especially the first half of the album. Sumner, along with excellent backup vocalist Denise Johnson, really helps bring together standout tracks such as Dark Angel, One Day, and the jewel of the album, Second Nature. After my initial reaction to "Raise the Pressure", I wasn't willing to pay the import price to scope out Electronic's third album, "Twisted Tenderness". After giving the disc a fair chance, however, I can't wait to get my hands on the next one. Relevant to the ridiculous scene of popular music or not, this is a great album, and one of my most played CD's. Much better than "okay"...."

Still their best, and a great album

Denmark Jensen | Carson City, NV USA | 01/04/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Don't listen to anyone who says this CD isn't great. (Especially reviewers who couldn't bother to listen to it more than a few times.) The first few times I listened to it (back on the day it came out in summer 1996), I didn't like it much either. But a few more listens revealed its greatness, and it has been one of my favorite CD's since. "Forbidden city", "For you", and "Second nature" were the singles, and are all awesome. My favorite tracks however, are the faster and more electronic sounding "If you've got love" and "Dark angel". The other tracks are all good too, except I don't really care for "One day". Denise Johnson's backing vocals are simply incredible. Karl Bartos (formerly of Kraftwerk) co-wrote many of the tracks and played keyboards, though it is harder to tell exactly what his contributions were. Anyway, this is a great album, and I like it better than their debut and "Twisted Tenderness"."

Evolution of Electronic

Leonard Pigg | Indiana, USA | 10/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"For those unfamiliar with the band Electronic, the members are Johnny Marr, former guitarist of the Smiths and Bernard Sumner, vocalist for New Order. Together, the two are pilars of the Manchester music scene that blossomed in the late 70s and early 80s. This album in particular was produced by Karl Bertos, of Kraftwerk. If you've ever listened to their self-titled previous album, this seems to be the natural progression of their music. Not only do they maintain their dance sound, but utilize more of Johnny Marr's excellent guitar work.



Bernard Sumner is also on point with his Brit-boy vocals often imitated by many other artists, but never duplicated. One of the stand-out tracks is "Dark Angel", which is an up-tempo, lyrically melancholy dance track where you can feel the Kraftwerkian influence of Bertos. "Second Nature" is a solid dance track with a style reminiscent of the Pet Shop Boys, but without all of the theatrics. Meanwhile, "Time Can Tell" is a slower track, with a more romantic feel.



Overall, you've got a solid album which is a prime example of what Brit-pop should be, and what many other artists should aspire to. I highly recommend the album, and also suggest checking out some of their other work."