Fans will adore it, but beyond that there’s the lingering suspicion that OMD will remain ‘that group’ you go to when you want to relive fading memories of yesteryear.
It is more focused and concise, and like the best OMD albums it maintains a consistent theme and feel, though the individual songs take on a variety of moods and approaches.
English Electric is a collection of instantly appealing songs interspersed with artful, at times self-explanatory, interludes
OMD's Kraftwerk fixation at this late date is a retro-within-retro move that puzzles, so prepare to be jarred a bit before declaring this a welcome addition to the catalog.
On the whole it remains impressively cohesive, and perhaps more importantly (and surprisingly) never feels like they're going through the motions
For all the backward glancing, there's a tension between the past and a possible way forward.
The Kraftwerk-influenced digital tracks and Andy McCluskey's airy, romantic vocals give way to well-crafted electro pop in a familiar mold.
Since their reunion in 2005, McCluskey and Humphrys have rediscovered a rich seam of renewed energy and offer evidence of how much more of a musical influence they could have been in the intervening years. Not as consistent an album as their first return, this album is much more obvious an attempt to mine the same soundscapes as those they explored in the past. Is it just this reviewer who detects the unmistakable similarity in certain chords between ‘Stay With Me’ and ... read more
Please Remain Seated ~ ★☆☆☆☆
Metroland ~ ★★★★☆
Night Cafe ~ ★★★★☆
The Future will be Silent ~ ★★★★☆
Helen of Troy ~ ★★★★☆
Our System ~ ★★★☆☆
Kissing the Machine ~ ★★★★★
Decimal ~ ★★☆☆☆
Stay with Me ~ ★★★★☆
Dresden ~ ★★★★☆
Atomic Ranch ~ ★★★★☆
Final Song ~ ★★★★☆
⏳ new & improved: time-weighted score ⏳
By far my favorite album by them in an album sense.
I didn't care for their 80s full albums. Found a lot of them to be very filler based and too much focus on trying to hit the radio waves with their singles.
1 | Please Remain Seated 0:45 | |
2 | Metroland 7:32 | |
3 | Night Café 3:44 | |
4 | The Future Will Be Silent 2:39 | |
5 | Helen of Troy 4:11 | |
6 | Our System 4:32 | |
7 | Kissing the Machine 5:04 | |
8 | Decimal 1:14 | |
9 | Stay with Me 4:25 | |
10 | Dresden 3:36 | |
11 | Atomic Ranch 1:42 | |
12 | Final Song 3:25 |
#29 | / | PopMatters |
#69 | / | musicOMH |