Search - Electric President :: Electric President (Dig)

NIcely produced electronic pop

somethingexcellent | Lincoln, NE United States | 02/08/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Electric President is a young (both well under 25 years old) duo of Florida artists named Ben Cooper and Alex Kane. It might seem like some sort of a mystery as to how their their self-titled debut found itself over the Atlantic Ocean and up to Berlin and the home of Morr Music, but one listen to the crisply-produced album of electronic pop will clear any of those thoughts away in this day and age of digital files and trans-continental album releases. Arriving somewhere between the newer work of Styrofoam (on Morr) and The Postal Service, Electric President mainly dabbles in melancholy-tinged tracks with a couple bursts distributed through the album for good measure.



The opener of "Good Morning Hypocrite" is one of the better pieces on the entire release, bobbing and weaving through several different styles and sections. It opens with some crisp drums odd found-sound percussion and acoustic guitars along with the breathy vocals of Cooper and alternates with mid-tempo sections of "ba-ba" choruses. At the end of the track, it double-times with a wooden-sounding kick drum and a dollop of hazy synth, giving it a nice gallop of energy and fitting close. "Insomnia" again melds acoustic guitars with layers of synths and clean programmed beats, while "Ten Thousand Lines" gets a bit louder with feedbacked guitars and very twee sounding vocals (as Cooper sounds like he's doing his best kid-voice imitation).



As mentioned above, the production on the release is very nice. The album may have been created in a bedroom studio, but the duo have obviously given a lot of thought to how things sound and there's a great attention to detail in terms of how instrumentation and vocals move throughout the mix in songs. Unfortunately, a good portion of the album is a little bit too safe, with the one-two punch of "Grand Machine No. 12" and "Hum" dripping with gooey acoustic guitar and quiet programming that only accept the nasal, affected vocals. The group is at their best when they turn things up a notch, as on the excellent "Some Crap About The Future" (which also gets props for the hilarious title) where they mix electric piano with fuzzy guitar and more subtle vocals. Although it's a little bit on the soft side, Electric President have created a nice little debut. If you're into the aforementioned artists, you probably won't go wrong here.



(from almost cool music reviews)"

Perhaps The Best "Under The Radar" Record of 2006

Pop Zeus | Midlothian Texas | 12/11/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Electric President's self titled debut is nothing short of breathtaking. Comprised of electronic drums and synths, soft acoustic and loud electric guitars, and boyish vocals "Electric President" combine indie-rock staples to create an instantly familiar yet fresh sound.



The singer sounds like a cross between The Flaming Lips' Wayne Coyne and Death Cab/Postal Service's Ben Gibbard, two obvious influences. Its impossible to listen to this record without hearing The Postal Service's "Give Up" as a blueprint. Other major influences include Yo La Tengo (the guitars) and Modest Mouse (the lyrics).



Any and all fans of The Postal Service will love this album, perhaps even more than "Give Up". While not every song on the album is great, there aren't any real duds. Overall I haven't come across an album I've liked this much in months, highly reccommended!"

Stunning debut

M. R. Baxter | Philadelphia, PA | 02/01/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I listened to an advanced copy of this way back in November and think that this guy will eventually achieve Sufjan Stevens-level critical and popular acclaim. The guy obviously has a beautiful soul and it shines through, especially on tracks like "Insomnia." Once Pitchfork weighs in favorably on this album he will be the toast of the indie world."