''English Electric'' is the twelfth studio album by English

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductor * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic co ...

band

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD) are an English electronic music, electronic band formed in Wirral Peninsula, Wirral, Merseyside, in 1978. The group consists of co-founders Andy McCluskey (vocals, bass guitar) and Paul Humphreys (keyboar ...

(OMD), and their second since the 2006 reformation of the group. Preceded by lead single "Metroland" on 25 March 2013, it was released on 5 April by 100% Records. Unlike predecessor ''

History of Modern ''History of Modern'' is the eleventh studio album by English electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), released on 20 September 2010 by 100% Records. It is their first album since 1996, and the first to feature the classic four-pi ...

'' (2010), which was compiled remotely via the Internet, ''English Electric'' saw OMD co-founders

Andy McCluskey George Andrew McCluskey (born 24 June 1959) is an English singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. He is best known as the lead singer and bass guitarist of the electronic band Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), which he founded a ...

and

Paul Humphreys Paul David Humphreys (born 27 February 1960) is an English singer, songwriter and musician who is best known for his contributions to Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), a new wave band which he founded alongside Andy McCluskey in 1978. ...

write and record in person, with the aim of recreating their artistic chemistry in years past. The album was largely inspired by McCluskey's then-recent divorce. ''English Electric'' met with positive reviews, and attracted favourable comparisons to the band's early-to-mid 1980s work—in particular the

experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs when ...

'' Dazzle Ships'' (1983). It peaked at #12 on the

UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales and (from March 2015) audio streaming in the United Kingdom. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the Official Charts C ...

and topped the

UK Independent Albums Chart The UK Independent Singles Chart and UK Independent Albums Chart are charts of the best-selling independent singles and albums, respectively, in the United Kingdom. Originally published in January 1980, and widely known as the indie chart, the rele ...

. As with ''History of Modern'', the record was a Top 10 hit in Germany, reaching #10. It also made #8 on the

Dance/Electronic Albums Top Dance/Electronic Albums, Dance/Electronic Albums (formerly Top Electronic Albums) is a music chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine which ranks the top-selling electronic music albums in the United States based on sales compiled by ...

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' chart in the United States.

Background

Whereas predecessor ''

'' (2010) had been compiled remotely via the Internet, McCluskey and Humphreys wrote and recorded in person for ''English Electric'', in the hope of rekindling the chemistry of days gone by. Humphreys stated, "We sat down and wrote the whole album in Andy's house in one go. We had a focus: to go back to our early sound, make a very electronic record, get rid of all the organic stuff, experiment and be free. We both felt like kids again, experimenting with our machines." McCluskey said of the album's songwriting content, "My wife and I separated, then ultimately divorced, and my two youngest children went to live in America with her, so I was left at home for ''English Electric'' with nothing else to do but write about the pain." The record was named after defunct British industrial manufacturer

English Electric N.º UIC: 9094 110 1449-3 (Takargo Rail) The English Electric Company Limited (EE) was a British industrial manufacturer formed after the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice of World War I by amalgamating five businesses which, during th ...

. On 14 January 2013, the band announced details of the album release date, track listing, and a teaser video featuring the short '' Dazzle Ships''-esque track "Decimal". The video for "Atomic Ranch" premiered on ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' on 4 February. The animated videos for "Decimal", "Atomic Ranch" and "Please Remain Seated" were created by Henning M. Lederer, and were included on the bonus DVD of ''English Electric''. Lead single "Metroland" premiered on the

BBC Radio 6 Music BBC Radio 6 Music is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC, specialising primarily in alternative music. BBC 6 Music was the first national music radio station to be launched by the BBC in 32 years. It is available onl ...

radio show ''

Radcliffe & Maconie ''Radcliffe & Maconie'' is a weekend radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 6 Music in the United Kingdom and via the internet. It runs from 8-10 a.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and is presented by Mark Radcliffe and Stuart Maconie. The show origin ...

'' on 11 February. "Dresden" was released as the second single from the album on 17 May; the promotional video had premiered on ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

'' website a week earlier. The single bundle features a remix by

John Foxx and the Maths John Foxx and the Maths is a musical project featuring electronic music pioneer John Foxx, Benge and more recently Hannah Peel. The group specialises in the use of analogue synthesizers and drum machines. It was initially a studio based proj ...

, who supported OMD on the UK part of their English Electric Tour. For Record Store Day 2013, a 500-copy limited edition 10-inch picture disc EP of "The Future Will Be Silent" was made available, which includes an exclusive non-album track titled "Time Burns". The track "Kissing the Machine" originally featured on the 1993 album ''

Esperanto Esperanto ( or ) is the world's most widely spoken constructed international auxiliary language. Created by the Warsaw-based ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887, it was intended to be a universal second language for international communi ...

'' by Elektric Music, a project by

Karl Bartos Karl Bartos (born 31 May 1952) is a German musician and composer known for his contributions to the electronic band Kraftwerk. Career Karlheinz Bartos was born on 31 May 1952 in Marktschellenberg, Germany, named after his grandfathers Karl and ...

after he left

Kraftwerk Kraftwerk (, "power station") is a German band formed in Düsseldorf in 1970 by Ralf Hütter and Florian Schneider. Widely considered innovators and pioneers of electronic music, Kraftwerk were among the first successful acts to popularize the ...

. The track, co-written by McCluskey, was completely reworked by Humphreys for ''English Electric'', and features

Claudia Brücken Claudia Brücken (born 7 December 1963) is a German singer and songwriter. She is best known as the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band Propaganda. In 1996, Brücken started working with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark co-founder Paul Humphrey ...

Propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

(Humphreys' then-partner) as the voice of the machine. "Helen of Troy" is a songwriting collaboration with Greek production outfit Fotonovela. The track "Stay with Me" features Humphreys on vocals for the first time since the release of 1988 " Dreaming" B-side "Gravity Never Failed". ''English Electric'' was released on CD, deluxe CD+DVD, heavyweight vinyl LP, a collector's tin boxset, and digitally. Its cover art was designed by longtime OMD collaborator Peter Saville.

Reception

''English Electric'' met with positive reviews, and attracted favourable comparisons to OMD's early-to-mid 1980s work—in particular the

'' Dazzle Ships'' (1983). At

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...

, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 76, based on 15 reviews. In comparing ''English Electric'' to its predecessor, Thomas H. Green of ''

The Arts Desk ''The Arts Desk'' (theartsdesk.com) is a British arts journalism website containing reviews, interviews, news, and other content related to music, theatre, television, films, and other art forms written by journalists from a variety of tradition ...

'' wrote, "...''

'', tipped its hat to all OMD's musical incarnations and was a mixed bag, if occasionally pleasing. Their new one, however, returns to their pristine synth-pop roots and is a corker." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' critic

John Bergstrom John Bergstrom (born March 3, 1973) is an American music critic and journalist. Career He is best known for his features and reviews on the international webzine ''PopMatters''. He is also a contributor to ''Trouser Press''. Alan Ranta of ''

Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features in-depth coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly Exclaim! print magazine publishes 7 ...

'' noted, "''English Electric'' brings to mind the effort Orbital put forth in 2012 ('' Wonky''), which recalled that UK group's glory days while looking to the future... this album shows a band at the top of their game." ''

Irish Times ''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...

'' journalist Tony Clayton-Lea felt the record borrows from

, but said, "What drags it out of the homage/pastiche area is the song craft, which is so ridiculously accomplished that you have no option but to whistle from start to finish." American

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

musician

Telekinesis Psychokinesis (from grc, ψυχή, , soul and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), or telekinesis (from grc, τηλε, , far off and grc, κίνησις, , movement, label=ㅤ), is a hypothetical psychic ability allowing a person ...

wrote, "OMD... have reached back to their milestone that was ''Dazzle Ships'', and made an absolutely gorgeous record that picks up where that one left off. And my goodness, have they aged gracefully." ''English Electric'' went on to appear in critics' lists of the best albums of 2013; in a poll of 3,200 ''Modern Synthpop'' readers, it was voted the 15th-best synth-pop album of the 2010s.

Track listing

;Notes * "Final Song" contains samples from "

Lonely House ''Lonely House'' is the second album by Grammatrain Grammatrain is an alternative rock band from Seattle, Washington who were active in the Christian rock industry in the 1990s. After disbanding in 1998, the group reunited as a mainstream act ...

" as performed by

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

Personnel

Credits for ''English Electric'' adapted from the liner notes. ;Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark * OMD – production *

– vocals, bass guitar, keyboards *

– vocals, keyboards, mixing * Martin Cooper – keyboards *

Malcolm Holmes Malcolm Holmes (born 28 July 1960 in Birkenhead, England) is a British drummer. He is best known for being the original drummer with Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. Biography Holmes’ first drumming sessions were for the Id, who included ...

– drums (all tracks); additional programming (6) ;Additional personnel *

– machine voice (7) * Mirelle Davis – management * Fotonovela – additional programming (5) *

Guy Katsav Guy Katsav (born April 1980) is a British record producer, mixing engineer and remixer based in London. Biography His selected credits include mixing a no. 1 album by The View (band), The View and a Mercury Award, Mercury award nominated album ...

– additional production (10) *

– sample performer (12) * Innes Marlow – photography * Charles Reeves – Chinese recording (1) * Peter Saville – art direction * Tom Skipp – sleeve design * Mike Spink – additional engineering (2) * David Watson – backing vocals (9) * James Watson – additional programming (9)

Charts

Release history

References

External links

* * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:English Electric (OMD album) 2013 albums Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark albums