Ten albums into their career, Elbow continue to stretch genres and create new musical landscapes for the fans to feast on. How does a band that has been recording for over two decades continue to stretch themselves and keep moving forward? Some bands can become static and stick to the same formula, knowing they can knock out a couple of decent tracks to get by. Others, like Guy Garvey and his band of brothers, like to explore new genres, have a fresh outlook and expand their palates.
AUDIO VERTIGO is Elbow, as you’ve not heard them before, yet it remains unmistakably them. Their previous album, 2021’s Flying Dream 1, was a warm, gentle record wrapped around melancholia. Written during COVID and lockdown, it was lyrically very open and revolved around loss and bewilderment. AUDIO VERTIGO, however, is a different animal altogether; it’s fun and vibrant with sonic sounds a plenty.
What initially strikes me in the opening track, “Things I’ve Been Telling Myself For Years,” is the crunching, swirling guitars and Guy Garvey’s baritone vocal being stronger and heavier than ever. A song about confronting perceptions, the song delves into the belief of being able to read people and growing an ego and includes the first ‘C’ word Elbow recorded ‘I haven’t paid for cabs or beers / Or met a cunt in twenty years).’
On the single “Balu”, the band truly come alive. One of their most brash and lively songs in years, the horns and synths that blow through the anthem lifts the listener to great heights. The song depicts a failed romance with vibrancy, vigour, and some of the strongest writing in the band’s catalogue.” Oh, my big Balu, with my wine, I pine for you. My days are shapeless now, and I’m something of a sacred cow,” Garvey sings over an incredible horn section. This is Elbow’s dance anthem.
Magical storytelling has always been a major part of Elbow’s armoury, and “Knife Fight” emphatically continues that trend. Based on a real-life event Garvey witnessed in a cafe in Istanbul, the song swirls around a vicious beat and creates a wonderful, strange tale: “The fellas left together laughing and bleeding, Oh, and the moon was full.”
Much of Elbow’s work features dark undertones shifting along with waves of wonderful, creative melodies, and that’s precisely what we find in “Lovers Leap.” Featuring more intense horn hooks and a foreboding theme, it is the quintessential Elbow with a new sheen. ‘Her To Earth’ drives along with a declaration of protection: “We live in a troubling age, But the world has given me arms for you. Stay, my bonny girl, stay.”
Although Elbow is often noted for Guy Garvey’s musings and warm, engaging vocals, I must mention the incredible musicianship that swirls around said vocals. The production from Craig Potter on this record is incredible. While the quality has always been high, it has hit another level on AUDIO VERTIGO. You can hear just how important and vital the sounds vibrating through the instruments are to the world Elbow creates. Along with Craig, his brother Mark, Pete Turner and Alex Reeves (involved in writing for the first time since he joined the band) all bend and shape their influences and talent to create the wonderful sounds we hear; they are truly talented and have honed their craftsmanship over many years.
“Good Blood Mexico City” is possibly the closest you’ll get to Elbow’s earliest work. The chorus rolls in with heavy guitar tones that will bring the song to life when played live. It’s a huge highlight.
The album’s finale, “From the River,” finds Guy Garvey writing beautifully to his son: “If and when you cry, Feed it to the flowers you’ll find along the way, Funny, wise and kind, Use those superpowers, Every day.” It closes the record wonderfully. It is heartfelt and features some of the most incredible, tender moments Elbow has built their career on. This song and those collected with it will be seen as classic Elbow. This record is AUDIO GOLD.
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