As they lead the charge for this week's Number 1 spot in the UK (set to be their third consecutive U.K Number 1 album), British band elbow has announced they will be returning to North America in January 2020 for a handful of west coast dates in California. Starting on January 18, they will be kicking things off at the House of Blues in San Diego then making stops at The Wiltern in Los Angeles, Fox Theatre in Oakland and The Observatory in Santa Ana. Local pre-sales start Thursday, October 17 at 10AM PT. General on-sale starts Friday, October 18 at 10AM PT. For more information, go to: www.elbow.co.uk
Last Friday, elbow released their eighth studio album 'Giants Of All Sizes' (Polydor/The Verve Label Group), to vast critical acclaim across the globe. Praised as "rich, expansive and inventive" by NPR who spoke to lead-man and lyricist
Guy Garvey on All Things Considered recently, this remarkable full-length continues to hold the Manchester four-piece well and truly at the top of their game and dear in the hearts of fans all over the world.
'Giants of All Sizes' was recorded at Hamburg's Clouds Hill Studio, The Dairy in Brixton, 604 Studios in Vancouver and
Blueprint Studios in Salford, with additional recording taking place at various band member's home studios in Manchester. Lead singer and lyricist
Guy Garvey describes the album as "an angry, old blue lament which finds its salvation in family, friends, the band and new life." It is a record that lyrically takes in moments of deep personal loss whilst reflecting its times by confronting head-on, the specters of injustice and division not just in the UK but across the world. It is a record that could only have been made in the 21st Century.
Given such bleak, if ultimately redeemed subject matter, it is also perversely the most relaxed record which elbow have made in some time. On 'Giants Of All Sizes' each band member extended their usual process of working on demos alone and followed their vision to its conclusion rather than, as Craig Potter puts it, 'taking the edges off things to find compromise'. In tandem with this, they returned to playing live in the studio, encouraged to experiment with the banks of analogue equipment at Clouds Hill in Northern Germany, giving songs a looser, more live feel.
The result is the most starkly dynamic record from the band in recent times, "sonically unabashed", as Guy would have it. Whilst album closer 'Weightless' has the gossamer melodies and communal harmonies for which the band have latterly been known, this album echoes earlier elbow work at times whilst also breaking new ground.
'White Noise White Heat' is motorik, metal machine soul driven by a vocal that is rage incarnate, 'Doldrums' mixes
John Carpenter with The
Plastic Ono Band to brilliantly disturbing effect and 'On Deronda Road'hitches stark bass beats and glitches to an ad-hoc choir. 'Empires' delivers dark resignation via an insidious melody and 'Seven Veils' continues the subversion by inverting the perception of elbow as a band for lovers into a band for haters, a double-barreled f-you song par excellence. 'The Delayed 3:15' marries mariachi guitars to jazz dynamics, Morricone via Buddy Rich, and 'My Trouble' is a clockwork, analogue shuffle housing a delicate melody that builds over the course of the song into a fragile monolith to the power of love.
Lead track, 'Dexter & Sinister', released on 10" ahead of the album, encapsulates the whole album. A seven-minute musical journey that blends deep bass grooves, sudden keyboard stabs, dislocated piano and guitar runs and soul stylings then abruptly shifts gear, parts the storm clouds and takes wing, flying towards the heat of the sun. It is the soundtrack for these 'hope free, faith free, charity free days', a denial of the divine and a reconciliation, two songs in one song, two emotions for one emotion, human, fragile and brilliant, like the album which it opens.
As with their previous four studio albums, 'Giants Of All Sizes' was produced and mixed by keyboard player Craig Potter. Guests across the album include Jesca Hoop, The Plumedores and South London newcomer Chilli Chilton.
NORTH AMERICAN TOUR DATES
01/18 - House of Blues - San Diego, CA
01/19 -
The Wiltern - Los Angeles, CA
01/20 -
Fox Theatre - Oakland, CA
01/21 -
The Observatory - Santa Ana, CA
'GIANTS OF ALL SIZES'
Dexter & Sinister
Seven Veils
Empires
The Delayed 3:15
White Noise White Heat
Doldrums
My Trouble
On Deronda Road
Weightless
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