Let the Power Fall is an album of
Frippertronics, which to the uninitiated can sound like electrical hum. In reality it's a technique developed with
Brian Eno, which allows the guitarist to play against a tape loop of sustained notes. With
Frippertronics as his mantra,
Robert Fripp creates impressive
instrumental structures by building layers of sound atop one another. This sort of
ambient music is conducive to a specific frame of mind, but like
Eno's Discreet Music it rewards the careful listener. Let the Power Fall can be seen as a refinement of the music explored on earlier
Fripp & Eno collaborations, though with
Eno out of the equation the songs take a decidedly more mathematical bent. The record begins with "1984," picking up where Under Heavy Manners/God Save the Queen left off. The song titles are better seen as successive numbers in a catalog than specific dates, as they're all of a piece. You could make a case that "1984," "1987," and "1988" are the most impressive constructs, but it's foolish to put much meaning behind that. While
Fripp employs the same soothing waves of sound that
Eno used on Evening Star and Discreet Music, there's only so much that can be made from
Frippertronics (think Yosemite Sam and his coconuts), and the end result feels a little cold and remote when compared with
Eno's warm
ambient textures. Let the Power Fall may be the ideal album of
Frippertronics, yet it's a technique that, while fascinating at times, has its own limitations. ~ Dave Connolly, All Music Guide
