Creatures

Elf Power

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 7, 2002)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Spin Art
• ASIN: B0000666WX
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #138,702 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Creatures is Elf Power’s fifth full-length and most streamlined release. The Athens, Georgia, quartet has long boasted a depth that seems to elude many of their cohorts in the Elephant Six collective. Earlier releases served notice of their ambitions: nothing less than head-on ‘60s garage rock and psychedelia cross-bred with ‘70s glam and power pop and brought into line with vocalist Andrew Rieger’s lyrical obsessions. On Creatures these ambitions finally congeal into a seamless mesh of pop craft and imaginative flight. Rieger’s Brothers Grimm-type serpents and castles typically serve as both psychedelically inspired dream images as well as archetypal caricatures representing the absurdities of modern life. And here, the lyrics are married to the band’s most visceral music to date. The cellos that underpin "The Unseen Hand" or the unfettered guitars propelling "Everlasting Scream," for example, subtly underscore the substance of the songs (whose themes of foreboding and release interplay more than ever) without ever sounding merely ornamental. --Michael Velez

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Try to Ignore the Oversized Boxing Gloves, September 6, 2002

By	reymundo helms (Bromley Mountain, Vermont) - See all my reviews

Once again, the sweet yet enchantingly ominous sounds of "Elf Power" are upon us. This is a top notch band featuring violin, cello and accordian to compliment guitar, keyboards, and a variety of percussion instruments. Assuming you get past the tiny privates and oversized boxing gloves, the bands fifth album is arguably its best: More mainstream to be sure, undoubtedly attracting a new circle of appreciative admirers and friends. But there is honestly no compromising of artistic principles here (perhaps it was time for a new direction anyway). Besides, with songs like "Let the Serpent Sleep" and "Everlasting Scream", our little family is certain to be blasting "Creatures" for the Halloween trick or treaters if they dare to approach the creaky front door. Buyer Beware: "The Modern Mind" is the "sleeper" song on this album: It slithers its way into the subconscious with a thoroughly haunting melody that serves as background during my daily affirmations and self hypnosis.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The true masters of rock., October 27, 2002

By	Selim Sivad (Saturn) - See all my reviews

This year, bands like Wilco, The Strokes, and The White Stripes have gained much critical recognition and acclaim for their raw, simplistic approach to rock music. While what those bands do is certainly original to some degree and worthy of acknowledgement, this CD blows everything they've tried to accomplish out of the water. The songs on Creatures are pure rock, untainted by breakbeats or music videos. Each one is a masterpiece, although this album is meant to be played in sequence. I just bought this CD today, but I've already listened to it twice and anticipate a third listen before the end of the day. Trust me, this is most likely the best rock album released since Lp2 by Sunny Day Real Estate. Buy, download, or otherwise obtain this as soon as possible. You will not regret it. And if you don't believe me, I suggest dowloading ANY song from this album, especially "Things That Should Not Be" and "Unseen Hand."

It's criminal that almost no one knows about these guys.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some of Athen's finest, November 6, 2003

By	Stella (South Carolina) - See all my reviews

I love this album and so has everyone else I have played it for. The lyrics are dark and trippy (true to Rieger's style), yet the music leaves me feeling upbeat. The only thing better than this album is seeing them live. Buy all of their albums. Go see the shows.