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When the Red King Comes is the second album by the Elephant 6 band Elf Power.[4][5] It is a concept album about the Red King's kingdom. The cover art is taken from a section of an imaginary map called “The Land of Make Believe”, drawn in 1930 by Jaro Hess. A more complete version of the map can be seen in The Writer's Map: An Atlas of Imaginary Lands.
| When the Red King Comes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1997 | |||
| Recorded | 1996 – 1997 | |||
| Genre | Indie pop, indie rock | |||
| Length | 39:47 | |||
| Label | Arena Rock Recording Co.[1] | |||
| Elf Power chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [2] |
| Chicago Tribune | [3] |
"Needles in the Camel's Eyes" is a cover of the Brian Eno song.[6]
Critical reception
editTrouser Press wrote that "though still noisy, the improved sound coincides with a sharper focus in the songwriting (that's good) and the first hint of impending mythological obsessions (not so good)."[1] The Chicago Tribune thought that "in Elf Power's hands, psychedelia is a means of transforming personal trauma into a twisted kind of triumph."[3]
AllMusic wrote that "the fuzzy, lo-fi production is an Elephant 6 hallmark, but the unique instrumentation (electric horns, pump organs, even Nepalese percussion) and cryptic, stream-of-consciousness wordplay suggest something altogether different."[2]
Track listing
editAll tracks are written by Andrew Rieger unless otherwise noted.
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Step Through the Portal" | 1:57 | |
| 2. | "Into the Everlasting Time" | 1:59 | |
| 3. | "The Frightened Singers" | 0:46 | |
| 4. | "The Secret Ocean" | 3:00 | |
| 5. | "The Arrow Flies Close" | 2:38 | |
| 6. | "Icy Hands Will Never Melt Away" | 3:27 | |
| 7. | "When the Red King Comes" | 3:29 | |
| 8. | "Separating Fault" | 3:33 | |
| 9. | "Spectators" | 2:20 | |
| 10. | "Introducing Cosmic Space" | Andrew Rieger, Bryan Helium | 3:29 |
| 11. | "The Bengal Parade" | 3:00 | |
| 12. | "Needles in the Camels Eyes" | Brian Eno, Phil Manzanera | 3:01 |
| 13. | "The Silver Lake" | Laura Carter | 3:39 |
| 14. | "It's Been a Million Years" | 3:28 | |
| Total length: | 39:47 | ||
Personnel
edit- Andrew Rieger - guitars, vocals, flute, zanzitophone, keyboards, bass, percussion
- Laura Carter - keyboards, vocals, Moog synthesizer, zanzithophone, loops
- Bryan Helium - bass, vocals, guitar, sitar, keyboards
- Aaron Wegelin - drums, vocals, percussion
References
edit- ^ a b "Elf Power". Trouser Press. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ a b "When the Red King Comes - Elf Power | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic" – via www.allmusic.com.
- ^ a b Ryan, Mo (30 Jan 1998). "Elf Power When the Red King Comes". Chicago Tribune. Friday. p. 46.
- ^ "Elf Power Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic.
- ^ "The Big Musical World Of Elf Power". MTV News. Archived from the original on February 8, 2022.
- ^ "Elf Power: A rocking foursome". Daily Hampshire Gazette. August 6, 1998. p. 33.
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