I had been eagerly anticipating this release ever since the first low-bitrate version of 'Jeffer' was birthed into the blogosphere.
There was always the suspicion that Power! would never live up to the hype. Before the official release there were versions of Jeffer, Starter, and Rozz Box flaunted across the blogosphere, a watermarked version of Kontact Me, a promotional/watermarked version of the ENTIRE ALBUM (if you looked hard enough), not to mention the collaboration with Erol Alkan - 'Death Suite'. Alexander Ridha was building himself an empire, upon which he would unleash his reign of Power!
It has easily been the most talked about electronic release of 2009. However, it felt as though Boys Noize had already held his cookie jar open a little too long, he was perhaps a little too generous, and maybe all the chocolate coated goodness had already been gobbled up. But, rest assured, like Hansel & Gretel, Boys Noize was just leaving a trail of crumbs for us scavengers. Power! is all that it promised to be - a much needed injection of "oomph!" into the world of dance music.
The album opens with Gax - a spacious, delicate arrangement quite unlike anything Boys Noize has released before. It lays the perfect platform to launch Kontact Me - the first single, and one hell of a banger. The robotic vocal of "Come with me... Do you remember?" is Ridha's invitation to us, the listener, to join him on this conquest.
The blog hits Starter and Jeffer are next, followed by three of the most dynamically diverse Noize tracks - Transmission, which is layered with sporadic synth sequences, slightly reminiscent of his work with Erol Alkan - Nerve, which features a Fake Blood-esque synthesizer driven by nothing more than a hand clap and a tambourine - and Trooper, which trudges along with a solid kick and aggressive tom-drum beat, with no coherent structure. While these tracks may not be suited for the dance-floor, they are an intriguing listen - don't be too hasty to hit 'skip'.
Sweet Light and Nott are a return to what Noize is known for - face melting club bangers! Fans of 2007's 'Oi Oi Oi' are going to feel right at home with these tracks. Rozz Box is a little off-putting sandwiched between these two slammers, and is the only track I would consider skipping, if only to avoid injury by attempting to dance to the awkward rhythm.
The final track is Heart Attack, and like Power! began, so it shall end - in an epic, ethereal finale. A soundscape of ambient pads, a tinkering glockenspiel, and a bass drum mimicking a heartbeat that, for the listener, is once again returning to its resting rate.
Rating: 9/10
Have a nibble on these tracks, but I recommend buying the album off iTunes.
