Elf Power Albums (9)
What The Critics Say
Of the groups that floated in and out of the orbit of the Elephant 6 Recording collective in the '90s, Elf Power is one of the few that's still alive and productive in the 21st century, and while the onset of semi-professionalism has led Andrew Rieger, Laura Carter, Eric Harris, and their partners to abandon some of the more outré aspects of the lo-fi approach that was once their calling card, their ninth album, In a Cave, shows that they're still enthusiastically flying the flag for their own brand of gently lysergic indie pop. Despite a fondness for buzzy keyboards and carefully placed sonic anomalies, In a Cave finds Elf Power embracing a relatively straightforward approach to their music, and "Spiral Stairs," "Fried Out," and "Softly Through the Void" could pass for conventional radio-friendly pop tunes in dim light. However, the wobbly textures of "Window to Mars," the quaking false start of "Quiver and Quake," and the spectral soundscapes of "Heads of Dust, Hearts of Lust" confirm Elf Power hasn't lost touch with its playful qualities, and the songwriting confirms Rieger's vision is still sharp and colorful. In a Cave's melodies claim an air of enchanting mystery, with enough hooks to make them hard to resist and just the right amount of angles to keep them from getting too fluffy. And while Elf Power hasn't started to turn into Steely Dan on us; after a dozen years the band has a lineup that can lay down a solid groove, add tasty guitar and keyboard accents, and generally sound like a for-real band rather than a music fan's goof. Elf Power circa 2008 is having its cake and eating it too in the indie pop sweepstakes, and the dessert they serve up on In a Cave is very tasty indeed. ~ Mark Deming, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Elf Power's eighth record, Back to the Web, is certainly a big stylistic change from their last album, Walking with the Beggar Boys. Perhaps it's due to the time spent on the Orange Twin farm that lead singer and songwriter Andrew Rieger has been inspired to take a more organic, acoustic approach to his music, even ditching that lo-fi fuzzy sound that has defined many of Elf Power's records (maybe the move to new Warner affiliate Rykodisc precipitated this change) for a cleaner, smoother feel. Gone are the sweet indie pop/rock melodies everyone's learned to expect and instead come folky, acoustic guitar-driven songs. Rieger's dreamlike lyrics on Back to the Web are all heavily influenced by nature, and while Rieger's not always singing about it explicitly (though he can), nature is what he bases nearly all of his metaphors and imagery around. It acts as his solace, his guide; it provides structure; it's what creates and gives. Not that Rieger's environment is always a positive thing. "Rolling Black Water," for example, is a menacing and ominous song, conjuring up images of death and depression, but this is an exception: for the most part the natural world only aids in Rieger's comprehension of life. Though some Elf Power fans may be satisfied with the few songs that are reminiscent of the band's previous records ("The World Is Waiting," "23rd Dream") and the abstract, occasionally prog-like references to masters and kings, others may be disappointed, or at least confused, by the focus on experimenting with dark, Middle Eastern-inspired drones mixed with Western pop/folk sensibilities. But Elf Power -- and Elephant 6, for that matter -- have never concerned themselves too much with definitions, and if Back to the Web is just another step in the band's musical career and development, it certainly bodes well for an interesting future. ~ Marisa Brown, All Music Guide
'Walking with the Beggar Boys'
Release Date 1/1/2003
Tracks 11
Label Grabaciones en el Mar
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
For a band that once wrote a song called "Simon (The Bird With the Candy Bar Head)," the decidedly un-psychedelic sound emanating from Elf Power's sixth full-length recording, Walking With the Beggar Boys, is more than a deviation -- it's a complete departure. Joining frontman Andy Rieger, multi-instrumentalist and ex-Neutral Milk Hotel member Laura Carter, and drummer Aaron Wegelin are Eric Harris, formerly with Olivia Tremor Control, and Craig McQuiston from the Glands. What sounds like an Elephant 6 love fest is actually an exercise in restraint, and after a few listens Walking With the Beggar Boys reveals itself as a near perfect little pop record. The leadoff single, the instantly gratifying "Never Believe," sets the tone for a set that's closer to Weezer than Of Montreal. The title track, an odd story about hanging out with a gang of beggar children in Warsaw, is a straight-ahead Southern rocker featuring the wonderfully warbly tenor of fellow Georgian Vic Chesnutt. Elf Power maintain their penchant for obscuro lyrics, but this time around the words are wrapped in a blanket of truth that may be a result of their communal record label/land conservation group called Orange Twin -- which currently owns a 150-acre spread of land on the outskirts of Athens that the members are turning into a self-sustainable, low-impact village and nature preserve. While tracks like "Invisible Men," which constantly threatens to turn into a John Cougar Mellencamp song, and the tight, Television-like "Big Thing" lack the complexity of their earlier works, Elf Power haven't abandoned their roots. "Don't Let It Be" bristles with the punk aesthetic of their debut (minus the four-track hiss), and "The Cracks," with its treated drums and swirling synths, sounds like an evil Flaming Lips. There are plenty of backwards cymbals and analog keyboard lines to keep devotees happy, but it's the songs themselves that reveal the band's new maturity, and nowhere is that rural contentment more evident than on the banjo-led "Empty Pictures," a bittersweet country hymn that deals with the very subject that these psychedelic veterans have been avoiding for nearly a decade -- reality. ~ James Christopher Monger, All Music Guide
'Nothing's Going to Happen'
Release Date 10/1/2002
Tracks 16
Label Orange Twin
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
With Nothing's Going to Happen, Elephant 6 offshoot Elf Power offers a formidable collection of cover tunes. While fans may be disappointed that the album's offering is devoid of the combo's startlingly unique originals, this is a spirited collection, and Elf Power's selection of cover artists reads like a cult-hero hall of fame. The title track is from the Tall Dwarfs, the legendary New Zealand lo-fi outfit that includes Chris Knox, while king acid casualty Roky Erickson gets extended tribute with a suite of songs. Also getting nods are Hüsker Dü, Bad Brains, the Buzzcocks, the Misfits, the Frogs, and Gary Numan, among others. Elf Power attacks the tunes with delightful zeal, as the friendly white-fuzz riot of Bad Brains' "Pay to Cum" and a muscular rendition of Hüsker Dü's "Never Talking to You Again" attest. This album may not hit the spot as well as a host of Elf Power originals, but it sure was rendered in the right spirit -- and is undeniably enjoyable. ~ Erik Hage, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The amicable departure of bassist Bryan Helium seems to have invigorated Elf Power, judging from the economical but intense performances throughout Creatures. While adhering to the low-fi aesthetic of the Elephant 6 collective from which they came, the band spans the gap from neo-psychedelic to cosmic folk-rock, in essence claiming as home base the niche established by Neil Young shortly after his flight from Buffalo Springfield. Creatures is a concept effort, built along a story line that teems with slimy creatures emerging from bogs or slithering in sewers just beneath our feet; a single "creature" recurs now and then, invested with an elusive but undeniable metaphorical significance. Andrew Rieger's toneless, mumbling, and often out-of-tune singing bathes his lyrics in a pale white light; the contrast between deadpan delivery and epic imagery keeps the performance on a steady and rewarding interpretive course. With minimal resources, the Elves construct compelling arrangements, from a vast aquatic swell and roll throughout "Visions of the Sea" to the trippy pictures tumbled over a stoner drone on "Three Seeds." The center of the music is simple: acoustic guitars and big, dry drums, sweetened with a keyboard, a cello, or something equally fanciful. Yet the band's vision stretches beyond instrumentation and deep into the heart of Rieger's artistry. This balance of elements, along with Elf Power's ragged but insistent groove, make Creatures a study of harmonious contradiction and unlikely balance. ~ Robert L. Doerschuk, All Music Guide
'The Winter Is Coming'
Release Date 10/17/2000
Tracks 13
Label Sugar Free
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The Winter Is Coming continues the darker, more complex sound Elf Power forged on its landmark album A Dream in Sound, enriching its brand of tripped-out pop with more emotional depth. Recorded over the course of nine months at the band's home studio, The Winter Is Coming seems mellow; however, melancholy and tense undercurrents lay just beneath its surface. Dense, droning songs like "Embrace the Crimson Tide" and "Wings of Light" are some of the best examples of the band's increasingly intricate sound, but "The Sun Is Forever," "Birds in the Backyard," and the title track prove that Elf Power hasn't sacrificed its catchiness for experimentalism's sake. Though the slightly silly bubblegum march "The Great Society" -- which almost sounds like an Elephant 6 parody -- seems out of place with the rest of the album's tone, the fuzzy-yet-brooding "Skeleton" more than makes up for it. Though it may not be quite as immediate or coherent as A Dream in Sound, The Winter Is Coming marks another step forward for this consistent -- and consistently evolving -- band. ~ Heather Phares, All Music Guide
'A Dream in Sound'
Release Date 5/11/1999
Tracks 14
Label Arena Rock Recording
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The aptly titled A Dream in Sound is Elf Power's creative breakthrough -- inventively produced by the great Dave Fridmann, the record is a great leap forward from the previous When the Red King Comes, boasting a bright, majestic sheen (the richest to grace an Elephant 6 release to date) that illuminates the striking pop melodies once buried below the group's fuzz-drenched surface. Although song titles like "High Atop the Silver Branches" and "Simon (The Bird with the Candy Bar Head)" serve notice that the Elves' psychedelic tendencies are still in full bloom, there's a new emotional complexity behind the songs as well -- Andrew Rieger's high, plaintive vocals lend a strange poignancy to his surreal narratives, and tracks like the lovely "Jane" possess genuine sweetness and warmth. A major addition to the E6 canon, A Dream in Sound pushes Elf Power to the label's front lines alongside Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel -- lofty company indeed. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
'When the Red King Comes'
Release Date 1/1/1997
Tracks 14
Label Arena Rock/Elephant 6
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
As the Elephant 6 catalog continues to expand, it becomes increasingly obvious that many of the label's bands are concerned not merely with creating fresh and exciting music but rather entire mythologies, crafting obscure concept records exploring the intricacies of strange pocket universes. Existing in the musical gray area between Olivia Tremor Control and Neutral Milk Hotel -- both of whose members make cameos here -- Elf Power's superb When the Red King Comes is a heady journey to a psychedelic utopia, a travelogue with such destinations as "The Secret Ocean," "The Separating Fault," and "The Silver Lake." As imagined primarily by singer/songwriter Andrew Rieger, the album is a odyssey "Into the Everlasting Time," and true to its word, it seems to exist outside of any obvious era -- the fuzzy, lo-fi production is an Elephant 6 hallmark, but the unique instrumentation (electric horns, pump organs, even Nepalese percussion) and cryptic, stream-of-consciousness wordplay suggest something altogether different; perhaps most telling is When the Red King Comes' cover, a crazed map suggesting something out of a J.R.R. Tolkien fever dream. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide
'Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs'
Release Date 1/1/1995
Tracks 17
Label Arena Rock Recording
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The underlying ethic behind the lo-fi revolution started in the late '80s by such seminal subterranean bands as the Pixies, Sonic Youth, and later, Pavement, is that crudely economical, more analog-based techniques of recording lay the music bare, creating a pure experience for the ear as sound was meant to be heard, and forcing the artist to rely more on his or her creativity, rather than gloss or a "fix it in the mix" sensibility. This is the badge and battle cry of those who feel that glossy, radio-ready production only serves to tame the feral spirit and soul of the music, and when it works (as is shown by many other members of the Elephant 6 collective) it can produce a captivatingly personal album experience for the listener like no other, but when it goes awry, without the gossamer sheen of that same polish to smooth the sting of rockier terrains, that same listener can be in for one hopelessly excruciating ride. Elf Power's 1995 debut, Vainly Clutching at Phantom Limbs, roughly falls somewhere in between these two destinations. On one hand, Andrew Rieger has a definite melodic talent that gives most of the material here an inherent listenability despite its slovenly intent, and regardless of the reigning juvenile weirdness of the lyrics, several of the better songs manage to make lasting first impressions ("Finally Free," "Circular Malevolence," and the title track being the best of these). Furthermore, there is strange, experimental affection surrounding the songs that borders on the mystically surreal, and if nothing else, is intriguing enough in itself to make the album worthwhile; this is especially true on later versions of the disc that include the five songs consisting of the group's Winterhawk EP. The problem here is that the songs are so poorly recorded (even more so than most lo-fi projects), they aren't really done any justice by an approach of such defiant trashiness, and Rieger's songwriting talents only serve to make the frequent obstructions of sonic disarray and derangement that much more frustrating. One has to wonder what Elf Power could do with the production genius of someone like Robert Schneider (from the better-known Elephant 6 band, the Apples in Stereo) behind them. Fortunately, all this slapdash procedure is easily excusable when one takes into consideration the fact that this is merely the debut release of a band who would go on to see their vision bear much greater fruition with their next album, When the Red King Comes, so in the end, while everything here does sound like a really cheap home recording, it paints a very interesting early portrait. ~ Mathias Sheaks, All Music Guide
