Element of Light, Hitchcock's second studio album with the Egyptians, remains one of his finest moments and offers a convincing argument for his talents as a pop craftsman. Using John Lennon's work for Revolver and The Beatles as a template, Hitchcock wrote an elegant set of songs for Element of Light, songs that contained all of his cryptic lyrical sensibilities, yet featured more refined melodies and song structures. The Egyptians play with a subtle grace, moving between the stately "Winchester" and light psychedelia of "If You Were a Priest" to the bracing attack of "Tell Me About Your Drugs" with ease. While it sacrifices some of the edgy tension of Hitchcock's earlier work, Element of Light is his most melodic and eerily beautiful record. [In 2008, Yep Roc released a new edition of Element of Light which included the original album re-mastered, six bonus cuts (four of which had never seen the light of day) and expanded packaging.]

(by Stephen Thomas Erlewine , All Music Guide)

As far as I can tell this is Hitchcock's peak, with every tune delivering memorable hooks and intriguing lyrics. A 14-song, 51-minute opus, it's stuffed with jangly, druggy, mid- and down-tempo pop-rock that's brought to life by creative instrumentation and studio effects like backwards tracks - and like the Edge, Hitchcock makes up for his lack of lead guitar chops by trying hard to get some interesting sounds out of his guitar. The lyrics are outstanding, always imaginative ("Raymond Chandler Evening") and frequently perverse in a way that recalls Lou Reed ("Ted, Woody And Junior"; "Tell Me About Your Drugs," where the band members switch off instruments and get away with it). It's hard to pick favorites, but the dreamy, unpredictable, and carefully harmonized ballads seem to work the best ("Winchester"; "Airscape"; "The Leopard"). Elsewhere, there are a couple foot-stompers that edge toward 50's nostalgia ("Somewhere Apart"; the aptly named Metcalfe showcase "Bass"), some minimalistic, experimental numbers that are arguably dull ("The Black Crow Knows," a Gregorian chant REM-style), and a rambling, but interesting Brit-folk story song ("Lady Waters & The Hooded One"). There are a bunch of radio-friendly rock tunes here like "If You Were A Priest" and Hitchcock's subtle political satire "The President," but they're icing on the cake. Produced by Hitchock and Metcalfe, who handles a lot of the keyboard parts.

(J. Allroy)