The Underside of Power


The Underside of Power is the second album by American experimental band Algiers. The album was released through Matador Records on June 23, 2017. The album was produced by Adrian Utley of Portishead and his frequent collaborator Ali Chant. It was also the band's first album to feature drummer Matt Tong as a full-time member.

Critical reception

The Underside of Power received widespread critical acclaim from contemporary music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 86, based on 21 reviews, which indicates "universal acclaim".
In his review for AllMusic, Thom Jurek wrote that, "Algiers ultimately turn doomsday on its head unexpectedly. On The Underside of Power, they assert that even amid violence, darkness, and horror, that the human spirit is affirmed through witness and resistance, leading not only to solace but to redemption."

Accolades

According to the website Acclaimed Music, The Underside of Power is the 23rd most acclaimed album of the year and the 190th most acclaimed of the decade.
PublicationCountryAccoladeRank
American SongwriterUSAmerican Songwriter’s Top 25 Albums of 201715
MagnetUSTop Albums of 201724
PopMattersUSThe Best Indie Rock of 20171
Spectrum CultureUSTop 20 Albums of 201717
Under the RadarUSUnder the Radar’s Top 100 Albums of 201736
The Village VoiceUSPazz & Jop 201729
GigwiseUKGigwise's 51 Best Albums of 201726
MusicOMHUKmusicOMH’s Top 50 Albums Of 201713
The QuietusUKQuietus Albums Of The Year 201724
StateIrelandState's Albums of 201724

Track listing

Personnel

All personnel credits courtesy of AllMusic.
Algiers
Additional musicians
Technical