[rating=7.00]
Little Fictions, the new album by elbow, is a slight reinvention for a band that is now seven albums and 20 years into its career. The music is less gloomy and a little more varied than previous releases. It leaves a bit more room for fun among the brooding introspection from which the band is known.
From the album opening “Magnificent (She Says),” it is clear that frontman Guy Garvey is a happier man than on previous albums. Credit his marriage last year for the sense of newfound love that permeates Little Fictions. Swirling strings from the Hallé Orchestra and Garvey’s distinct vocal phrasing give the album-opener a sense of familiarity, but an energetic back beat, Mark Potter’s guitar riffs, and an overall sense of optimism take the song into new territory. “Gentle Storm,” with its propulsive beat and contrasting moody piano, mirrors love’s contrasting emotions of excitement, nervousness, and peace. “I found peace in your arms,” Garvey sings. “Gentle storm, rage my way.”
Whereas the guitar on previous elbow albums were almost entirely acoustic, Little Fictions features significantly more electric guitar, with Potter laying down more licks and spending less time strumming. “Firebrand & Angel,” with Craig Potter’s catchy, bouncing piano line and a skittering beat, is one of the album’s high points. “When you’re in her mirror you don’t even feel the tears that fall,” Garvey sings.
Little Fictions’ bleakest track is the Brexit-lamenting “K2.” “I’m from a land with an island status; makes us think that everyone hates us. Maybe, darling, they do,” Garvey sings, his voice echoing to add to the overall sense of emptiness. “But they haven’t met you. They only know the villains at the tiller and they gambled the farm on a headline.” Even at the darkest moments, though, Garvey finds a shred of optimism, admitting, “I’m given to believing in love; I’ve written the word in my blood.”
The penultimate title track shows elbow at their best, thriving on dynamic shifts and the discordance between its dark, hip-hop-influenced rhythm and Potter’s muted guitar riffs that sync with Garvey’s vocals. Garvey tells the story of the struggles of a dysfunctional family, from the “muffled battle cry across the kitchen table” to all of the other “little tremors that are ripping through our rituals.” But again, Garvey offers a sense of hope, closing the song by hinting at what can overcome these obstacles. “Love is the original miracle,” he croons.
