After the first few misleadingly Crazy Horse-ish notes of Blow it Up, Burn it Down, Kick it 'Till it Bleeds, it becomes immediately apparent that Imitation Electric Piano sounds a lot like Stereolab and the like-minded Broadcast. The emergence of detached female vocals, Teutonic drumming and groovy organ swells are easily explained by the fact that Imitation Electric Piano in fact shares personnel with Stereolab. In the true spirit of side projects, however, Blow it Up, Burn it Down, Kick it 'Till it Bleeds - the band's second LP and third release overall, stretches its legs a bit and shows no hesitation in messing around with things a bit. While opener "Tension," with the exception of the aforementioned opening figure, showcases all the lounge pop leanings of lead Piano Simon John's other band, "For the Best" sounds more like late’-60s British Folk a la Fairport Convention.

Acoustic guitars and intimate female vocals carry the day, while harpsichord assumes the role that one might expect an old analog synthesizer to hold. These slight variations are what make Blow it Up, Burn it Down, Kick it 'Till it Bleeds so intriguing - many of the elements that we love about Stereolab are present but with slight variations in pace, instrumentation and emphasis to command a closer listen. While Stereolab is known for living by the drone, parts of "Come Into Force" plain old drift by without any semblance of a demanding downbeat or heady trance wrangling. Another difference can be found in the more hard rock, muscular mix found in the bass-heavy "Le Roque" and the crunchy-guitar filled closing title track. None of the tinkering is too dramatic - Stereolab fans and devout completionists alike will find much to savor in these songs, but enough to merit the attention of the uninitiated. – Jon Rooney (2006, The Daily Copper)