Elbow

Week 13: Elbow- Audio Vertigo

~ honestopinions19 ~ Leave a comment

I am not the biggest fan of Elbow’s music. I avoid it because I do not understand all the hype around them. This is the band’s 10th studio album and their first in 3 years. I am going to surprise you and say that I liked this one. It was the most un-Elbow record I have heard from them. I heard elements of old-school Kasabian, indie, Royal Blood, and funk.

My research said that the band worked hard in the studio last year to have this released early this year, and they decided to experiment this time rather than stick to their usual tried-and-tested method. The lyrical content has dark humour, usually related to romance. The opener, ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years,’ immediately surprised me. I was surprised to find fuzzy guitars and a song with plenty of instrumental attitude. 

Another highlight was ‘Balu,’ which, with its bongos, horns, synths, and driven guitars, somehow still managed to have a rock-n-roll edge.

I liked the bassline on ‘Very Heaven’ with the drumstick count-in at the introduction. The guitars are more mellow on this one. The whole track is easygoing, as Guy Garvey’s vocals are more in the spotlight.  ‘Her to the Earth’ focuses more on keys. Again, another funky track. ‘The Picture’ is a sublime rhythmic drum beat over heavy guitar riffs and a key break. ‘Poker Face’ is one of the shortest on the album and a rare break from the record’s intensity. ‘Knife Fight’ is another highlight, and this time, it has warm and rich guitar riffs and lead guitar that are in focus.

“Audio Vetigo” is a huge departure from your typical Elbow wall of sound. It has shown their ability to adapt and get their name back in focus. I will still not become a fan, but I liked this one. I hope for more of the same, then who knows?

Song recommendations: ‘Balu’, ‘Things I’ve Been Telling Myself for Years’,  ‘Knife Fight’

8/10

Week Six: Elbow- Little Fictions

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Little Fictions

Since their formation in 1990 under the name of “Mr Soft” (They changed their name to Elbow in 1997), it is no secret that the band has progressed and improved vastly, with critical acclaim to back this up. They didn’t get their big break until 2008’s “the Seldom Seen Kid”, which firmly set their music career in stone. “Little Fictions” is the seventh album in their arsenal, and they have decided to produce it as a band rather than work with a producer.

The Album opener, “Magnificent (She Says)”, defines the wall of sound Elbow is known for. Guy’s soft and kind vocals, a string section, polished drums and an organ. There is, however, a surprise for the listener with the addition of a synthesiser that is heard throughout the duration of the song. “Gentle Storm” has Guy’s vocals in a melancholic tone over ringing piano chords and nothing much else. The track needed more, and I couldn’t help but feel that the listener would be disappointed with this track. It feels like the band had a “that’ll do” attitude about “Gentle Storm” and didn’t feel the need to improve it any more, although I think the track is half-baked. The recurring theme I noticed with “Little Fictions” is that the drumming is repetitive. Probably the track that stands out the most is “Little Fictions”. The track is introduced by a gothic-sounding piano, which leads into jazz before ending with the typical string section that Elbow’s listeners have become accustomed to. This is the only track I felt that Elbow could venture out of their comfort zone and try out other sounds that they otherwise would not even think about for fear of losing their identity.

This album had the potential, but the focus is once again on repetitive and tidy drumming and Guy’s vocals, which don’t give a platform for the other instruments and make them redundant. The album, therefore (despite being self-produced), is a typical Elbow sound with little imagination used to show any other direction. Definitely another album for the hardcore fans as they will enjoy it regardless, but to the casual listener, it’s another album of Elbow playing it safe, which pretty much makes their venture into self-production void as they didn’t really try out anything of the ordinary

1/10