Elbow is a British art rock/progressive pop band, and Little Fictions is their seventh studio album.
The band is made up of Guy Garvey (vocals), Craig Potter (keyboards), Mark Potter (Guitars), and Pete Turner (drums). They had a couple of fill-in percussionists to fill in for this album as their previous drummer, Richard Jupp, left before the recording of the album.
Guy Garvey’s rich, husky voice is reminiscent of crooners such as Peter Gabriel and Robert Pollard. His voice, melodies, and abstract lyrics seem to be the most noticeable feature of the band. The instrumentalists generally provide a steady, if not slightly off-kilter, foundation from which Garvey can explore.
Many of the songs explore different sounds and seem to be influenced by specific artists. “Trust the Sun” takes on the soft, jazz inflections and subtleties of Talk Talk, while “Gentle Storm” is musically evocative of Radiohead. The song “All Disco” was apparently inspired by a conversation Black Francis (of Pixies fame), but it comes off sounding like a Guided By Voices cover – from the vocal melody and timbre to the jangly guitar to the surreal lyrics.
The first half of the album is full of great, inspired tracks, but the second half seems to lack the substance of the first half, especially in regards to Garvey’s performance.
Recommended If You Like: Wild Beasts, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, Talk Talk, Radiohead, The National
Recommended Tracks: 4 (All Disco), 2 (Gentle Storm), 1 (Magnificent (She Says)), 3 (Trust The Storm)
Do Not Play: None
Written by Josh Gaston on 02/21/2017