Elbow
Giants Of All Sizes

Although “only” eleven years have passed since that “One Day Like This” which marked the definitive breakthrough of Elbow (and consecrated a monumental album like “The Seldom Seen Kid,” winner of that year's Mercury Prize), the carefree spirit of that sumptuous track seems far distant.

"Giants Of All Sizes," the eighth studio effort from Guy Garvey and company, arrives two years after the previous "Little Fictions" and represents a definite change of direction in the musical offering of the now well-established British band. Recorded in various locations around Europe (Hamburg, Brixton, Vancouver, and Salford) and once again produced by the band's keyboardist Craig Potter, the new work is heavily influenced by the events that have occurred around (and within) the band.

The sudden passing of two dear friends of Garvey (Jan Oldenburg and Scott Alexander) and the impact that Brexit has had on his perception of the world around him have led to a lyrically very raw album, which bases its textual harshness on a dark and at times corrosive sound. In the single and opener “Dexter & Sinister,” bass and guitar riffs seem to recall the masterpiece “Grounds For Divorce,” only to suddenly shift gears and lead the piece towards an open and choral finale.

“Seven Veils” and “My Trouble” recover the taste for certain refined and crafted arrangements, and the band's great love for certain British prog here fully blooms and transforms into a sonic fabric of the highest class (comprehensively illustrated by the second single “Empires,” which at times calls back to the very early Genesis).

“White Noise White Heat” darkens and thickens the overall tone, “The Delayed 3:15” is quintessentially Elbow, but it is “On Deronda Road” that surprises with its foray into electronic and synthetic territories, before the album closes with the anthemic “Weightless.”

This beautiful work "Giants..." may eventually be certified as the best since the (probably) unattainable “The Seldom Seen Kid.” An album that returns Elbow to us in dazzling form.

Best track: On Deronda Road