Nouse Web Archives Album Review: Elbow – Little Fictions Page 1 of 3 News Comment MUSE. Politics Business Science Sport Roses Freshers Muse › Music › News Features Reviews Playlists Album Review: Elbow – Little Fictions This is an album that requires patience – give it time, and it will repay you, writes Georgia Owen Monday 13 February 2017 IMAGE: Album Cover Rating: ★★★☆☆ It’s all change for Elbow with the release of their seventh album Little Fictions. Not only are they adjusting to life as a four-piece, after the departure of drummer Richard Jupp, but frontman Guy Garvey is now a man in love – and he wants to shout about it. He does exactly that with gravelly trademark Mancunian warmth, dispatching beautiful lyrics that wouldn’t seem out of place in a poetry anthology. Themes of marriage and fatherhood seep through Elbow’s latest work, from their lead single ‘Magnificent (She Says)’, which gushes with parental pride, to the devastatingly romance of ‘Kindling’. Even ‘K2’, which sees the band foray in to the messy world of Brexit, is enveloped in a certain adoration for Garvey’s partner. http://nouse.co.uk/2017/02/13/album-review-elbow-little-fictions Archived 11 Dec 2018 12:01:47 Nouse Web Archives Album Review: Elbow – Little Fictions Page 2 of 3 Is this fixation to the detriment of the sound? Perhaps. This album feels flat, even monotonous, lacking the stylistic depth of past work; the delicate subtlety of ‘Great Expectations’ and the rocky edge of ‘Grounds for Divorce’ are sorely missed here. There is nothing to latch on to after the first listen. Tracks promise things that they fail to deliver – ‘Gentle Storm’, with its strong cowbell beat, fizzles out without the powerful conclusion that it so clearly deserves. That said, this is a solid performance from the Manchester band. Multiple listens allow for an appreciation of the intricacies of both the lyrics and sound, redeeming music that fails to grab the listener first time around. Essentially, this is an album that requires patience – give it time, and it will repay you. Most Read Discussed 1. Review: Little Mix – LM5 2. Led Astray – The Case Against Greta Van Fleet 3. Review: Some Rap Songs – Earl Sweatshirt 4. Review: Simulation Theory – Muse 5. Live Review: Sigrid @ Albert Hall, Manchester – 8/11/18 6. Band of the Week: Magma Write for Nouse Music Get in touch with the editors Join the Facebook group More in Music Review: Some Rap Songs – Earl Sweatshirt Review: Little Mix – LM5 Live Review: Sigrid @ Albert Hall, Manchester – 8/11/18 Live Review: Within Temptation @ O2 Academy Birmingham 9/11/18 Radio Gaga: Evolution of a Star Review: Simulation Theory – Muse About Nouse Who’s Nouse Website Credits Contact Us Advertising Archives http://nouse.co.uk/2017/02/13/album-review-elbow-little-fictions Archived 11 Dec 2018 12:01:47 Nouse Web Archives Album Review: Elbow – Little Fictions Page 3 of 3 Student Discounts Print Editions Mini-Sites Nouse on Twitter Nouse on Facebook Nouse on Google+ © 1964–2018 Nouse Policies | http://nouse.co.uk/2017/02/13/album-review-elbow-little-fictions Archived 11 Dec 2018 12:01:47.