Customer Reviews

Power

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

The verdict is still, in many respects, out, but I can already tell that this album is growing on me in the same way that Different Damage and No Kill did. Power is about as much of a leap from Damage as Damage was a leap from No Kill.

The songwriting is top notch. Yes, people will hear the opening track "Wonderful People" and draw the obvious Justin Timberlake/Michael Jackson comparisons, but the most likely scenario is not that Q and Not U is drawing on watered down pop influences, but more likely that they're turning to the same source influences as perhaps some of these pop geeks are. In other words, the gentlemen of Q and Not U continue to listen to a wide variety of music, including but certainly not limited to Parliament, Afro-beat, post-punk like Gang of Four, but probably mostly putting on records by their DC gogo and Dischord contemporaries. The listen to all this music and allow themselves to garner some influence from it while still putting their own take on the music.

Speaking of Dischord contemporaries, my biggest complaint about the album is the production--Ian MacKaye and Don Zienetra did a superb job of giving the Q a natural recording sound for their past several albums and singles, but the production duties on Power were handled by the gentlemen from the DC band El Guapo (who incidentally, I've never liked much). El Guapo production makes Q and Not U sound, well, more like El Guapo! However, the key difference is that Q and Not U actually write good songs, but they come close to ruining a few of their songs with useless noise in the name of experimentation (Sheck out the pointless recorder meandering on the updated version of "X-Polynation" and tell me if you agree). Either way, El Guapo can't ruin the live show, and it will be interesting to see how Q and Not U translates (or re-translates) this music back to a live setting.

The biggest leap in terms of the actual music is a far greater reliance on keyboards for many of the tracks. While guitar-based Q and Not U will always hold a special place in my heart, and indeed can still be found on this album, the use of keyboards on this album is largely done in a tasteful manner.

Another key difference is the lyric writing. Power finds Chris Richards using a much more direct lyrical style, even more didactic at times. The end result is that you have an album that is less lyrically open to interpretation, which is sad, but the majority of the lyrics on this ablum are top notch. Harris Klahr sings 4 tracks on the album, and his off-kilter lyrics are great, especially on a standout track like L.A.X. However, Chris Richard's singing still carries the majority of the album, and his earnest vocal offerings on "Wet Work" and "Collect the Diamonds" serve as the album's centerpieces. The backbone of Q and Not U remains John Davis' inventive drumming, and fans will not be disappointed by his work on this album.

When you start listening to Power, the sooner you put yourself in the hands of Q and Not U and let them do the driving, the sooner you'll be able to enjoy this great record for what it is and not worry about what it could have been. I have trouble letting other people drive me anywhere, but with this album, I'm getting used to it. I'm even enjoying it.

This cd is quite wonderful. A leap from their previous, marvelous efforts, this album expands without ruining the elements of Q and noy U that make them who they are. A nice fusion of the past two albums, with some very nice addtions, I think this band and this album are pretty amazing. and fun. and great live. ok thats about all I think.

Wow...I was pretty taken back when I first heard this album..My brother thought "Wonderful People"(the first track on the album) was the new single by Justin Timberlake...Umm yeah. The boys in Q and not U do it once again and manage to keep it real and keep it funky on their third album, "Power"...Lots of synth,lots of percussion and a whole lot of love is what you'll get if you pick up "Power". Check them out when they come to your town too..

this album is phenominal. i'm a long time Q fan. each of their albums has digressed a little while retaining the band's tenets. this album took a month to fully grow on me, and it has not left my turntable in seven days.

mr. "no bass blayer" reviewer below me: chris and harris alternate live and in studio. most of their tracks have a bassline. others don't need them. there is no formula for perfection. Q stumbled on it like penicillin.

(...)

Well, I found it disappointing after 'No Kill No Beep Beep' but you know, diff'rent strokes for diff'rent folks. It doesn't seem as honest, lively, and energetic. In some ways it just feels a bit contrived - go 80s.

dont get me wrong, i love q and not u. i love no kill beep beep, and different damage definitely has some great songs on it. i bought this cd because i thought it'd be like the others, and because i heard wonderful people and liked that. but i just cant get into this cd. i keep trying to give it that one good listen that will make me like it, but every time i put it in the cd player, i only take it out a few minutes later. if you want an awesome q and not u cd, i totally recommend no kill no beep beep over power.

I was wholly disappointed in the direction that Q And Not U went with this album. In 2000, Q And Not U was a breath of fresh air where Indie rock had been quite stagnant in respect to unique music. "No Kill No Beep Beep" is probably one of the top albums of the 21st Century and "Different Damage" was is also a notable release. Power, on the other hand, is a poppy 80's influenced disaster. This is a very radio-friendly and marketable album, and would probably have been very successful if it had hit the mainstream (see trash like Panic! at the Disco). If you like the previous two albums; avoid this contrived drivel like the plague. Although, I admire the band for their experimentation with different instruments and layers, there is no excuse for the result. It is a good thing that this band broke up because if "Power" is any indication of where they were headed - they did everyone a favor.

it's as simple as that, whenever i listen i can't help moving some part of me some way. great album, i enjoy different damage a lot as well. check this out, but get it from your local indie record store or straight from dischord.

I, like many other reviewers, am a *HUGE* fan of No Kill, No Beep Beep (easily one of the Top Ten albums of all time.) That said, my problem with Power isn't that it doesn't sound like No Kill, No Beep Beep. I like Different Damage just fine and it's a pretty dramatic departure from the guitar driven spasmotica of NKNBB. My problem with Power has more to do with the fact that it simply isn't a good album.
Which isn't to say that there aren't good songs on this album. Tracks such as "Wonderful People," like other reviewers have said, are solid and catchy. Other tracks, like "L.A.X." I find compelling and interesting (I listened to lots of drum&bass as a teen.) But Power as a whole is a completely inconsistent album. For every "Wonderful People," there's a song like "District Night Prayer," which is too annoying to sit through even once.
I don't mind when bands experiment. Most great bands do. Radiohead, for instance, sounds like a different band on every album. But I don't respect experimentation for the sake of experimentation. And the bottom line for me is that Power is an experiment that didn't quite work. I will, without a doubt, buy Q and Not U's next album, because they are still a great band (seeing them live after Power's release convinced me of that.) And if it's another dance-punk record, then great. I just hope it's a good dance-punk record.

I was really anticipating this album, especially after the awesome X-Polynation/Book of Flags 7". But after Power came in the mail and I played it for the first time, I wasn't sure what to think. A few months later, I can uneqivocally say that this is their best album. It has way more electronics and falsetto than their previous albums, but there's a ton of energy. And as much as I don't want to let it, "Wonderful People" just compels me to dance. This is a really hard album to dislike once you get into it. That said, save a buck and support DIY by shopping with Dischord directly.