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From Out of Nowhere (Jeff Lynne's ELO album)

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From Out of Nowhere
Studio album by
Released1 November 2019 (2019-11-01)
StudioBungalow Palace, Los Angeles[1]
GenreOrchestral pop, rock and roll
Length32:39
LabelColumbia
ProducerJeff Lynne
Electric Light Orchestra chronology
Wembley or Bust
(2017)
From Out of Nowhere
(2019)
Electric Light Orchestra studio album chronology
Alone in the Universe
(2015)
From Out of Nowhere
(2019)
Singles from From Out of Nowhere
  1. "From Out of Nowhere"
    Released: 26 September 2019
  2. "Time of Our Life"
    Released: 25 October 2019

From Out of Nowhere is the fourteenth studio album by British rock band Electric Light Orchestra (ELO), and the second credited to Jeff Lynne's ELO. The band's first studio album in four years, it was released on 1 November 2019 through Big Trilby and Columbia Records. The title track was released as the lead single on 26 September 2019.[2] Lynne played most instruments on the album.[3] Keyboardist Richard Tandy returned to play on one track, marking his final appearance on an ELO album prior to his death in 2024.

Background

[edit]

Lynne stated that the first track he wrote for the album was the title track, and said it was named "From Out of Nowhere" as "that's exactly where it came from". Its themes of "hope and salvation" and optimism also appear throughout the album.[4][5]

From Out of Nowhere Tour

[edit]

In January 2020, Jeff Lynne's ELO announced a tour that would take place across the UK, Europe, and Ireland.[6][7] On 15 May, the tour was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[8]

Critical reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
AnyDecentMusic?6.4/10[9]
Metacritic70/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
American Songwriter[12]
Classic Rock[13]
The Daily Telegraph[14]
Goldmine[15]
The Guardian
The Arts Desk
ConsequenceF
The Irish Times

From Out of Nowhere was met with generally favorable reviews upon its release. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, From Out of Nowhere received generally positive reviews based on a weighted average score of 70 out of 100 from 9 critic reviews. [16] The review aggregator site AnyDecentMusic? compiled 7 reviews and gave the album an average of 6.4 out of 10, based on their assessment of the critical consensus. [17]

Classic Rock's Everett True rated it four stars, describing From Out of Nowhere as "comforting" and "a sparkling continuation of [Lynne] return to form". [18] Michael Hann of The Guardian highlighted the "good-natured" nature and its alignment with classic ELO sounds but missing the mark of their previous work. [19] John M. Borack of Goldmine, highlighted Lynne's melodic prowess and the albums enjoyable nature, noting that tracks such as "From Out of Nowhere," "Goin' Out on Me," and "All My Love" were particularly notable, but criticized Lynn's drum sound as a point of contention for some listeners. [20]

In more mixed reviews, AllMusic rated the album three stars, stating that From Out of Nowhere problem is "The melodies don't easily lodge in the subconscious, but the bigger problem is that the production - by Lynne, who plays virtually every note on the record - is airless and precise." [21] Uncut stated that Lynn is "at his best as the world's greatest Beatles tribute act." [16] Lauren Murphy of The Irish Times wrote that while the album is "enjoyable and well-constructed" she suggested that the album lacks innovation and risks sounding stagnant due to Lynn sticking to "ghosts of the past on several of these songs." [22]

The Daily Telegraph's Neil McCormick praised the album for being "fundamentally sound" but heavily criticized the lack of innovation towards the album stating "In terms of chord progressions, melody, rhythm and even lyrical subject matter there is nothing on From Out of Nowhere that advances much further than about 1965. In terms of production, you could add another decade. From Out of Nowhere could be an ELO album from 40 years ago."[23] The Arts Desk reviewer Nick Hasted critical review of the album as focusing on the album's lack of new ideas and its reliance on past formulas and rehashing of earlier ELO work rather than a "forward-thinking" project.[24]

Track listing

[edit]
No.TitleLength
1."From Out of Nowhere"3:14
2."Help Yourself"3:14
3."All My Love"3:06
4."Down Came the Rain"3:29
5."Losing You"3:36
6."One More Time"3:28
7."Sci-Fi Woman"3:07
8."Goin' Out on Me"3:09
9."Time of Our Life"3:10
10."Songbird"3:06
Total length:32:39

Personnel

[edit]

Adapted from Stereogum,[25] the official press release,[26] and the album liner notes.[1]

Additional personnel

  • Bob Ludwig – mastering
  • Ryan Corey – art direction, design, illustration
  • Joseph Cultice – photography

Charts

[edit]

Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[52] Silver 60,000

Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

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  1. ^ a b From Out of Nowhere (CD liner notes). Jeff Lynne's ELO. Europe: Columbia. 2019. 19075987102.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  2. ^ Reed, Ryan (26 September 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO Ready New LP 'From Out of Nowhere,' Issue Title Track". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  3. ^ Strauss, Matthew (26 September 2019). "Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra Announce New Album, Share Song: Listen". Pitchfork. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  4. ^ Munro, Scott (26 September 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO announce new album From Out Of Nowhere". Classic Rock. Retrieved 4 October 2019 – via Loudersound.
  5. ^ Kaufman, Gil (26 September 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO Launching 'From Out of Nowhere' Album, Listen to the Title Track". Billboard. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  6. ^ Daly, Rhian (24 January 2020). "Jeff Lynne's ELO announce 2020 tour dates". NME.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  7. ^ Lewry, Fraser (24 January 2020). "Jeff Lynne's ELO announce 2020 tour dates". Loudersound.com. Retrieved 23 December 2020.
  8. ^ @JeffLynnesELO (15 May 2020). "It's with deep regret and sadness that I have to cancel my upcoming October UK tour..." (Tweet). Retrieved 23 December 2020 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "From Out of Nowhere by Jeff Lynne's ELO reviews". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Reviews for From Out of Nowhere". Metacritic. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
  11. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out of Nowhere > Review at AllMusic. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
  12. ^ Beviglia, Jim (13 November 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO Returns From Out Of Nowhere". American Songwriter. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  13. ^ True, Everett (1 November 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out Of Nowhere - frailty and manufactured perfection". Classic Rock. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  14. ^ McCormick, Neil (31 October 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO, From Out of Nowhere, review: Mr Blue Sky keeps it light". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 9 June 2020.
  15. ^ Borack, John M. (28 February 2020). "Review: Jeff Lynne's ELO - "From Out of Nowhere"". Goldmine. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  16. ^ a b From Out of Nowhere by Jeff Lynne's ELO, retrieved 3 April 2025
  17. ^ "From Out Of Nowhere by Jeff Lynne's ELO reviews | Any Decent Music". www.anydecentmusic.com. Retrieved 3 April 2025.
  18. ^ True, Everett (1 November 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out Of Nowhere - frailty and manufactured perfection". Classic Rock Magazine. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  19. ^ Hann, Michael (1 November 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out of Nowhere review – it's a pleasure to have him back". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  20. ^ Borack, John (28 February 2020). "Review: Jeff Lynne's ELO - "From Out of Nowhere"". Goldmine Magazine. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  21. ^ Erlewine, Stephen (3 April 2025). "From Out of Nowhere Review by Stephen Thomas Erlewine". All Music Web site. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  22. ^ Murphy, Lauren (1 November 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out of Nowhere review – Enjoyable and well-constructed". The Irish Times Web site. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  23. ^ McCormick, Neil (31 October 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO, From Out of Nowhere, review: Mr Blue Sky keeps it light". The Telegraph Web site. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  24. ^ Hasted, Nick (31 October 2019). "CD: Jeff Lynne's ELO - From Out of Nowhere". The Art Desk. Retrieved 3 April 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
  25. ^ Breihan, Tom (26 September 2019). "Jeff Lynne's ELO – "From Out Of Nowhere"". Stereogum. Retrieved 4 October 2019.
  26. ^ "Official Press Release - Sept 26, 2019". Archived from the original on 6 October 2019. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
  27. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  28. ^ "Austriancharts.at – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  29. ^ "Ultratop.be – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  30. ^ "Ultratop.be – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  31. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  32. ^ "Danishcharts.dk – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  33. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  34. ^ "Jeff Lynne's ELO: From Out of Nowhere". Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Le Top de la semaine : Top Albums Fusionnes – SNEP (Week 45, 2019)" (in French). Syndicat National de l'Édition Phonographique. Retrieved 13 November 2019.[permanent dead link]
  36. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out Of Nowhere" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 8 November 2019.
  37. ^ "Irish-charts.com – Discography Electric Light Orchestra". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  38. ^ "Oricon Top 50 Albums: 2019-11-11" (in Japanese). Oricon. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  39. ^ "Norwegiancharts.com – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  40. ^ "Oficjalna lista sprzedaży :: OLiS - Official Retail Sales Chart". OLiS. Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 14 November 2019.
  41. ^ "Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  42. ^ "Spanishcharts.com – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 11 November 2019.
  43. ^ "Swedishcharts.com – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  44. ^ "Swisscharts.com – Jeff Lynne's ELO – From Out of Nowhere". Hung Medien. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  45. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 9 November 2019.
  46. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
  47. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Top Album Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  48. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Top Rock Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 13 November 2019.
  49. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Top Tastemaker Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  50. ^ "Electric Light Orchestra Chart History (Vinyl Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved January 1, 2021.
  51. ^ "End of Year Album Chart Top 100 – 2019". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 4 January 2020.
  52. ^ "British album certifications – Electric Light Orchestra – From Out of Nowhere". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 1 January 2021.