Elbow
Lost Worker Bee EP
Conchord
Aug 26, 2015
Elbow
The Lost Worker Beound of Elbow taking stock of their improbable (though highly deserved) ascent from U.K. indie also-rans to stadium-headlining behemoths, delving into new textures and ideas, yet still recalling the sort of subtle wonderment that made their early records so rich and rewarding. Lead single “Lost Worker Bee” is a perfect blend of their early polyrhythms and their more-recent anthemic glories—shot through with trumpets and glorious flourishes rising high to almost drown Guy Garvey’s cries. The sparse, cyclical “And It Snowed” hints at In Rainbows-era Radiohead in its Can-esque drumming and gently-humming electronic fronds. “Roll Call” is similarly based on a looping, intermeshed drum and bass pattern with parts of the track drifting in from nowhere to take centre stage. And then stripping everything back, closing track “Usually Bright” sees Garvey recounting a tale of returning to Manchester for a show and feeling like a stranger in a place he knows—a “hotel in my home town/the saddest room I ever woke in”—familiarity veiled by the fabric of time passed by.
Though it’s the electronic touches that intrigue most, Elbow still remain at their strongest when they do the simple or the soaring. But there’s the sound of progress here: a sound that bodes so promisingly for the future of this extraordinary band. But at the same time, there are clear nods to the past—a recollection of history. Much has been lamented by some older Elbow fans of their recent records “forgetting their roots”. Themed and crafted from the streets of Manchester, this EP is a wonderful reminder that not only do Elbow still remember them, the blood to their lovelorn souls still flows from that deep well, no matter how high the vine they now have to climb from there. (www.elbow.co.uk)
Author rating: 8/10
Average reader rating: 8/10
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