No Shouts, No Calls

Brighton, UK’s Electrelane has created a fourth album that paints a romantic portrait more in line with the promise of their earlier work, in particular, album number two, 2004’s The Power Out. The edges are softer and the vocals are emphasized, and Verity Susman’s lyrics and melodies expose the group’s tender side. Even when the group lock into the metronomic krautrock-lite buzz of “Between the Wolf and the Dog” or the six-minute loop of “Five,” the effect is muted and less about increasing tension or jarring the listener awake with angry guitar slashes than with extending a sense of weightless coasting that leads directly into the gliding pop of “Saturday.” Much like Stereolab, whose love for Krautrock rhythms and cheesy Farfisa organs is similar, Electrelane capture a dreamlike intensity best appreciated for its vagueness.