★★★★☆
There’s a captivating whimsy present across the new release from Elbow.
The British alt-rockers have been hard at work producing their seventh album Little Fictions –their first without long-time drummer Richard Jupp – and the results embrace a more minimal aesthetic, yet still retain Guy Garvey’s songwriting mastery. It’s an addition to their discography that celebrates the doldrums of life in a way that fans will more than delight in.
On the whole, Little Fictions is a wonderful collection of serenades. ‘Magnificent (She Says)’ contains lyrics that just make you melt: Garvey croons lines like “This is where the echoes swell to nothing on the tide” in a poignant track that sees a thick Mancunian accent carry over a captivating melody, moving with a certain grace from the major to minor key. It’s certainly the album’s standout track, but even with the heavier and more upbeat ‘All Disco’ and ‘Gentle Storm’, Elbow harbour a particular manipulation of instrumentation and rhythm alongside Garvey’s wonderfully simple poetry.
Little Fictions has the ability to embrace you with a warmth that will make you feel small and content, yet it can still overwhelm you with its emotionally rich tone and the economy of its composition.
