English Electric (album)

English Electric is the twelfth studio album by English synthpop group Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (OMD), and their second since the 2006 reformation of the band. Preceded by lead single "Metroland" on 25 March 2013,[1] it was released on 5 April by 100% Records.

English Electric
Studio album by
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Released5 April 2013 (2013-04-05)
RecordedMotor Museum Studio (Liverpool), Bleepworks (London)
GenreSynth-pop
Length43:05
LabelBMG, 100%
ProducerOMD
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark chronology
History of Modern
(2010)		 English Electric
(2013)		 The Punishment of Luxury
(2017)
Singles from English Electric
  1. "Metroland"
    Released: 25 March 2013
  2. "Dresden"
    Released: 20 May 2013
  3. "The Future Will Be Silent"
    Released: 20 April 2013
  4. "Night Café"
    Released: 2013

The record peaked at #12 on the UK Albums Chart, and topped the UK Independent Albums Chart. As with comeback release History of Modern (2010), English Electric was a Top 10 hit in Germany, reaching #10. It also made #8 on the Dance/Electronic Albums Billboard chart in the United States.

Background

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".[1][2] The album was released on CD, deluxe CD+DVD, heavyweight vinyl LP, a collector's tin boxset, and digitally.[1]

The track "Kissing the Machine" was originally featured on the 1993 album Esperanto by Elektric Music, a project by Karl Bartos after he left Kraftwerk. The track, co-written with Andy McCluskey, was completely reworked by Paul Humphreys for English Electric, and features Claudia Brücken as the voice of the machine.[3] The track "Stay With Me" features Humphreys on vocals for the first time since the release of 1988 "Dreaming" B-side "Gravity Never Failed".

The video for "Atomic Ranch" premiered on Pitchfork Media on 4 February 2013.[4] The video is the second of three animations by Henning M. Lederer which will be available on the bonus DVD of English Electric.[5]

The lead single "Metroland" premiered on the BBC Radio 6 Music radio show Radcliffe & Maconie on 11 February 2013.[6] The B-side to "Metroland" is a non-album track titled "The Great White Silence".[7]

The full album was made available to stream on Pitchfork Media on 2 April 2013.

For Record Store Day 2013, on 20 April, 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".[8][9]

"Dresden" was released as the second single from the album on 17 May 2013. The promo video was premiered on the New York Times website a week earlier on 10 May 2013.[10] The single bundle features a remix by John Foxx And The Maths who also supported OMD on the UK part of their English Electric Tour.[11]

Reception
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic76/100[12]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[13]
The Arts Desk[14]
Consequence of Sound[15]
Exclaim!(7/10)[16]
Express(4/5)[17]
The Irish Times[18]
Magnet[19]
Mojo[20]
musicOMH[21]
PopMatters(8/10)[22]

English Electric has received generally favourable reviews. At Metacritic, 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.[12]

An Express writer commented, "That synthpop of theirs is still thumping and penetrating, catchy and crazy and brilliantly familiar. It's fresh and it's pretty wow."[17] Thomas H. Green of The Arts Desk noted, "...History of Modern, 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."[14] Irish Times critic Tony Clayton-Lea felt the record borrowed from Kraftwerk, but wrote: "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."[18]

Track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Length
1."Please Remain Seated"Andy McCluskey0:44
2."Metroland"McCluskey, Paul Humphreys7:33
3."Night Café"McCluskey, Humphreys3:46
4."The Future Will Be Silent"McCluskey, Humphreys2:41
5."Helen of Troy"McCluskey, Bitzenis, Geranios4:13
6."Our System"McCluskey, Humphreys4:33
7."Kissing the Machine"McCluskey, Karl Bartos5:06
8."Decimal"McCluskey1:16
9."Stay with Me"McCluskey, Humphreys, James Watson4:27
10."Dresden"McCluskey3:37
11."Atomic Ranch"McCluskey1:44
12."Final Song"McCluskey, Kurt Weill, Langston Hughes3:25
iTunes bonus track[23]
No.TitleLength
13."No Man's Land"4:26
Notes

Personnel

Credits for English Electric adapted from the liner notes.[24]

Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Additional personnel

Charts
Chart (2013) Peak
position
Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)[25] 68
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[26] 91
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[27] 49
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[28] 10
Greek Albums (IFPI)[29] 14
Irish Albums (IRMA)[30] 52
Scottish Albums (OCC)[31] 18
Spanish Albums (PROMUSICAE)[32] 60
Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[33] 46
UK Albums (OCC)[34] 12
UK Independent Albums (OCC)[35] 1
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[36] 8

Release history
Region Date Label
Germany[37] 5 April 2013 BMG Rights Management
France[38]
United Kingdom[39] BMG Rights Management (UK) Limited, 100% Records
Italy[40] 9 April 2013 BMG Rights Management
United States[41]
Japan[42] 24 April 2013 Sony Music Entertainment Japan

References
  1. "OMD News: January 2013 – OMD Album Announcement". omd.uk.com. Archived from the original on 16 January 2013. Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  2. Rock Cellar Magazine: "OMD Detail New Album, English Electric – Out on April 9th." Retrieved 14 January 2013.
  3. "OMD News – Kissing The Machine". omd.uk.com/. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  4. Minsker, Evan (4 February 2013). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Announce New Album and Tour, Share Video for "Atomic Ranch"". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  5. "OMD News – Atomic Ranch". Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  6. "OMD News – Metroland Premiere". omd.uk.com/. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 February 2013.
  7. "OMD News – Metroland Pre-order". omd.uk.com/. Archived from the original on 26 March 2014. Retrieved 11 February 2013.
  8. "OMD News – Record Store Day". Archived from the original on 20 April 2013. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  9. "OMD debuts new track "Night Café", announces 10-inch EP for Record Store Day". Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  10. https://www.nytimes.com/video/2013/05/10/magazine/100000002216681/exclusive-preview-omds-dresden.html nyt.com exclusive premiere OMD's "Dresden"
  11. http://blog.thequietman.co.uk/?p=1030 The Quiet Man, John Foxx official blog 21.03.2013
  12. "English Electric – Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  13. Jeffries, David. "English Electric – OMD". Allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  14. Green, Thomas H. (7 April 2013). "CD: OMD – English Electric". The Arts Desk. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  15. Hardy, Tony (8 April 2013). "Album Review: Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – English Electric". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 13 April 2013.
  16. Ranta, Alan (9 April 2013). "Orchestral Maneuvers in the Dark: English Electric". Exclaim!. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  17. "CD Review: OMD – English Electric". Express. Northern & Shell. 5 April 2013. Retrieved 8 April 2013.
  18. Clayton-Lea, Tony (5 April 2013). "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark: English Electric". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 20 September 2013.
  19. "English Electric". Magnet (97): 57. English Electric is a tremendously satisfying listen for fans who've worn out their copy of Dazzle Ships.
  20. "English Electric". Mojo. Bauer Media Group (234): 90. May 2013. 'Night Cafe', 'The Future Will Be Silent' and the earworm that is 'Dresden' might just be some of their best ever pieces.
  21. Green, Laurence (6 April 2013). "OMD – English Electric". musicOMH. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  22. Bergstrom, John (9 April 2013). "OMD: English Electric". PopMatters. Retrieved 18 April 2013.
  23. "English Electric by Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark". iTunes Store UK. Apple Inc. Retrieved 10 March 2013.
  24. English Electric (CD liner notes). Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark. 100% Records. 2013. 100CD26.CS1 maint: others (link)
  25. "Austriancharts.at – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 17 April 2013.
  26. "Ultratop.be – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  27. "Ultratop.be – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  28. "Offiziellecharts.de – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  29. "Official Cyta-IFPI Charts – Top-75 Albums Sales Chart (Εβδομάδα: 15/2013)" (in Greek). IFPI Greece. Archived from the original on 22 April 2013. Retrieved 22 April 2013.
  30. "GFK Chart-Track Albums: Week 15, 2013". Chart-Track. IRMA. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  31. "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  32. "Spanishcharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric". Hung Medien. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
  33. "Swisscharts.com – OMD (Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark) – English Electric". Hung Medien. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  34. "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  35. "Official Independent Albums Chart Top 50". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 6 May 2020.
  36. "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Archived from the original on 27 April 2019. Retrieved 26 December 2020.
  37. "English Electric" (in German). Amazon.de. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  38. "English electric – Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark – O M D" (in French). Fnac. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  39. "English Electric". Amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  40. "Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark – English Electric" (in Italian). Internet Bookshop Italia. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  41. "English Electric: Omd". Amazon.com. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
  42. "オーケストラル・マヌーヴァーズ・イン・ザ・ダーク(OMD) : 電気仕掛けの英吉利人" [Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark (OMD): English Electric] (in Japanese). Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Retrieved 16 April 2013.
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