Ever since Elbow first emerged in 2001 with their debut album, “Asleep in the Back”, they have maintained a low-key brilliance that has seduced the senses, with an omnipresent sense of warmth, that ebbs and flows in an oceanic depth of emotion. They are not your typical alternative rock band, but a shimmery spectacle of earthy opulence, that leave heavy footprints in the sand-dunes of your soul.
As a band, Elbow are like a stately home, open to the public, sat comfortably around a grandeur of quality, with a few fairy lights scattered about, having a few beers with their mates. They are a band of great magnitude, crossing over an array of genres, whilst taking a pensive prog-rock leap into an otherworldly existence.
Paradoxically, Elbow make music that is raw and visionary, without wearing their influences in full view. Instead, Elbow orchestrate a show of magnificent melancholy reflecting on love, loss, political and global events without jumping on their soap boxes. For any nihilism or existentialistic crisis that may sneak in, Elbow are a band that have always greeted them with a therapeutic dose of humour, that has been encapsulated in their anecdotal lyrics.
Along with their intervals of stripped down acoustics and windswept instrumentals, Elbow are masters of building tension and suspense that simultaneously uplifts and reflects. Projecting light from the shadow puppets of their soul, Elbow are a band steeped in sunny optimism, whilst sheltering from the rainclouds above. They are band who are very much in tune with the harsh realities of life and humanity, whilst throwing a warm blanket over the aftermath of destruction.
They are a band who have followed their own path, marched to their own beat and oozed a savvy sophistication that has been ahead of its time. Extravagant and sedentary in equal measures, Elbow are slow-burners of singed-scraping sentiments, whose showmanship is ignited from the dependable embers of molten rock. Like an epicentre of emotion, it’s through the ballad-esque tracks, wistful lullabies and elongated suspense that Elbow seep and smoulder in the smoke-rooms of symphonic rock.
Through their back catalogue of albums, Elbow have made a meteoric rise to the stellar skies of alternative rock, orbiting around the constellations of neo-jazz, neo-psychedelic, dream-pop, prog-rock, post-punk and art-rock, whilst colliding with the baroque rocks of neo-classicism.
To describe Elbow as “post-Brit-pop” wears a bit thin as their cosmic cloth cuts much deeper and covers a multitude of diaphanous layers. They are a band that delves deep into the DNA pool of classical music, a more polished production, an orchestral alliance of piano ripples and vortex of violins, spinning between time and space.
With their latest album, “Flying Dream 1”, Elbow levitate from the same lineage of their previous incarnations, whilst laying their hopelessly romantic soul completely bare. An intimate affair, “Flying Dream 1”, is an empirical trip in a cool- jazz club, whilst floating across the ethereal skies, amidst the dream-pop bubbles and farfisa fog. It’s a sensory delight that sends a personal invite to its private celebration of love, unity togetherness and sonic solidarity.
It’s an album that is a great reminder of the comfortable, cosy sensuality of Elbow. The gentle, tender, sentimental and nostalgic core of Elbow, whose intermix of earthy grit and romantic musings keep the band’s feet firmly on the ground, whilst staring at the stars.
Through the soothing vocals of Garvey, “Flying Dream 1” reaffirms his gift of conveying emotions with a heightened sensitivity that percolates with passion and is governed by love. As a front-man, it’s Garvey’s charisma, sensuality and authenticity that shines throughout the album. Like a rugged renaissance man from modern times, Garvey is a master of head over heels romanticism and spiritual awakenings that filter through like a dreamy, warm embrace.
An exemplary album, it’s through the witty, poetic and quirky lyrics that Elbow continue to captivate and intrigue. Lyrics such as, “Only Falling Gives you Wings” (Six Words), “Your eyes are diabolical blue” (What Am I Without You) and “Sue Johnstone in corduroy and marigolds” (Calm and Happy), reveal Garvey’s skill at writing songs that are romantically inflamed and earth-bound with Northern kitchen sink charm.
“Flying Dream 1” is an album that is testament to Elbow’s longevity, endurance and evolution as a band. As an album “Flying Dream 1” crystallises Elbow’s high calibre of music, whilst reinforcing them as accessible purveyors of class, quality and finesse. It’s a musical masterpiece, whose intermix of genres, sonic shimmers, tender lyrics, heavenly harmonies and velvet vocals completely sweeps you off your feet.
1. Flying Dream 1 – “Flying Dream 1” is an ethereal escapade in the middle of the night that soothes the senses and surrenders the soul. Through the hypnotic vocals of Garvey, “Flying Dream 1” resides in the higher realms of consciousness, levitating lucidly and floating freely from harmonious heights. Through the candle-lit double bass, pensive pianos and tepid tapping, “Flying Dream 1” creates a sedated cocktail jazz ambience, whilst intermixing with the farfisa fuzz of neo-psychedelia. Along with the angelic humming and celestial synths, “Flying Dream 1” flickers and glows from its guiding light.
2. After the Eclipse – When the Earth moves between the Sun and the Moon, the universe shuts down a little, casting shadows from the silhouette of its soul. Nature becomes out of synch and for a few fleeting seconds the birds, bees and butterflies are nowhere to be seen. Through the tranquil tones of Garvey and hallucinatory harmonies, “After the Eclipse” transmits a calling, sending electro-magnetic signals to the moon and sun gods, so the cosmos can re-align. Through the flutey flutters, “After the Eclipse” migrates from a neo-folk hideaway, emerging from the darkness. It’s a captivating track, whose wah wailings, baritone piano and distant beats, creates an entanglement of neo-psych, infused jazz and baroque-rock that heads towards a heavenly horizon.
3. Is It A Bird – Through the shuffled beats and industrial clangs, “Is It A Bird” saunters casually amidst the urban noise, before being stopped suddenly in its tracks. It’s a neo-jazz, baroque-rock ballad, whose piano ripples, brooding bass and sparse vocals are testament to Elbow’s skill at building tension, whilst evoking a sentimental stream of emotion. It’s a beauteous track, a powerful declaration of love, a prophetic prose, whose outer-worldly lyrics are illuminated by the wistful vocals of Garvey. Through the skyline-synths of shooting stars, flicker riffs and eerie drones, “Is It A Bird” beams with a sense of wonder, whilst colliding with the gliding sax.
4. Six Words – “Six Words” wears its heart on its sleeve, flickering and fluttering like a honey-stung butterfly dancing erratically and euphorically under a synth-pop disco ball. Through the unhinged piano ripples, “Six Words” unleashes a gush of emotions, flowing passionately whilst breaking down the defences from its romantic river banks. It’s an eclectic track, whose outbreak of thunderous bass, pop-art synths and electro-harmonies take a funky excursion down a new-wave path, in an off-beat declaration of falling in love.
5. Calm and Happy – “Calm and Happy” resides in the bossa nova jazz lounge in a nostalgic narration of random chit-chat (including ex-soap stars in corduroy and marigolds) and sentimental flashbacks. It’s an intriguing track, whose idiosyncratic lyrics pause between the xylophonic splodges and bass-line double bass. Along with the hammond-esque synths, trumpet-esque quivers and plucky riffs, “Calm and Happy” tinkles in the shadows of yesteryear, whilst creating a soothing catharsis.
6. Come On, Blue – Through the acoustic strums, piano tinkles, humming harmonies and dreamy double bass, “Come On, Blue” transcends a mystical beauty, that delves deep and elevates to celestial heights. It’s a sublime track whose spectacle of synths erupt like a meteorite shower, nose-diving and illuminating the night sky, amongst the space-hopper synths and cosmic dust. Through the wistful vocals and poetic lyrics, “Come On, Blue” is an intimate invite, an incandescent affair that shines from within and beams from the moonlight.
7. The Only Road – “The Only Road” pulsates with a Post-punk tribal-heart, a soul-love collective that assembles across an alt-rock path. It’s a sublime track that illuminates under a moonlit sky and glows amongst the fireflies and evening dew. Through the flicker of riffs and stellar strums, “The Only Road” is a nocturnal navigation, mapped out and written in the stars.
8. Red Sky Radio (Baby Baby Baby) – “Red Sky Radio (Baby Baby Baby)” signals its declaration of love from the rooftops, whilst peering at the inflamed skies. It’s a burst of amorous airwaves, transmitted from its baroque-rock station. Through the clucky riffs, “Red Sky Radio” pulls from the heartstrings, in a Jupiter jazz bar, aside the apparitional accordions, that collide with the heavenly harmonies. Along with the translucent tones and radar rattles, “Red Sky Radio (Baby Baby Baby)” connects to the ethereal antennas of dark-wave, whilst emitting an astral ambience.
9. The Seldom Seen Kid – “The Seldom Seen Kid” awakens from the rumbling beats and elongated bass clarinet, like a daybreak of a new dawn. It’s a mesmerising track, whose meditative musings resonate amongst the pagan poets, the cosmic chivalry and the trailblazing troubadours. It’s a neo-jazz of enlightenment, a ballet twirl of ethereal-rock, swept away by a new-wave of jangly riffs. Along with the cavernous bass and piano tinkles, “The Seldom Seen Kid” resides in the basements of baroque-rock, whilst staring through the windows of its soul.
10. What Am I Without You – “What Am I Without You” is a euphoric, celebratory fanfare of neo-jazz, neo-psych, baroque-rock all fused together to create a majestic finale. It’s an epic track, whose farfisa stomps pogo-jumps around the rumbling bass in a firebrand display of Orchestral-pop. Along with the crystalline strums and oscillating slides, “What Am I Without You” shines from the classic crescents of a golden age, whilst reflecting the lunar lineage of JS Bach. Through the love-struck lyrics and grandiose of Garvey, “What Am I Without You” somersaults sky-high, whilst conducting the zig-zag riffs in a fuzz of lucid lightning. Along with the piano twinkles, ethereal harmonies, space-splodge synths and plucky percussions, “What Am I Without You” moves like a moonlight montage, marching in unison, in a soul surrender of love.
Listening to “Flying Dream 1” makes you feel like a bystander of an emotional journey, like the collisions of cosmic dust debris has settled amongst all the darkness and chaos. It is meticulously crafted, immaculately produced and without a doubt it’s Elbow’s finest work to date.
Released by Polydor on 19th November 2021, you can buy “Flying Dream 1” from the official Elbow store and all other musical retailers.