"Self-effacing" is not an adjective one normally uses to describe a rock band, but everything about the English quartet Electrelane seems designed to draw attention away from the individual players. In Electrelane's case this is particularly significant since all four members are young women, and there aren't many all-female rock bands who play mostly instrumental music.
Eschewing vocals is itself a self-effacing strategy, but Electrelane's instrumental methodology goes further since it is geared toward a total group sound that downplays solos, but nevertheless stresses improvisation. The difference is that the band improvises as a unit, allowing itself to follow a song to its natural conclusion, which means the song may change from performance to performance. This approach has been generally dubbed "postrock," but Electrelane has less in common with current like-minded bands, such as Tortoise and Mogwai, than they do with pop-oriented experimentalists like Stereolab and Quickspace. They're loud and aggressive, even harsh on occasion, but they never fail to come up with amazing hooks.
Verity Susman, who plays guitar and keyboards, sings when singing is called for and could be considered Electrelane's creative director. In person, she is as self-effacing as the band's image. Sitting in a Shibuya coffee shop, she talks in an even, quiet voice about the group's third album, "Axes," between sips of iced tea.