I had a suspicion that Elbow's previous album, 2021's Flying Dream 1, would grow on me; and it definitely did. Recorded during the malaise of pandemic lockdowns, it was a very subtle and patient album that was soaked in nostalgia and appreciation for the smaller things in life. When it first released, I was not in a place in my life where I could really resonate with its beautiful simplicity and wholesomeness, but with time I grew to really appreciate it. AUDIO VERTIGO, by contrast is in some ways pivot back to the larger scale anthems that the band are know for; although quite the shake up in the methods used to achieve those arena sing-alongs.
On AUDIO VERTIGO, the band has made a conscious effort to include more prominent and groovier drum rhythms, resulting in 'chunkier' feeling tracks with more urgency and kinetic energy to them. Alongside this, the symphonic string sections that are hallmark of Elbow's sound have been replaced by bombastic horns and fuzzy 80's prog-rock synths. The songs are shorter and more immediate, and at twelve tracks (ten if you don't count the two interludes) and a trim 39 minutes, it is as about as in your face as the band have ever been. For a band that is known for their delicacy and 'sophistication', it is far from that.
Guy Garvey's trademark lyrical prowess is still firmly on display, though. The opening track, Things I've Been Telling Myself for Years, details an alternate history of the band if they broke up after the release of their first record, Asleep In The Back. Garvey plays the character of a smarmy, washed up rockstar against a chugging rhythm section reminiscent to Asleep In The Back's opener, Any Day Now - a nice call back which fits the moody atmosphere of the song perfectly. This launches into the two big singles of the record, Lover's Leap and Balu. Lover's Leap is built around a rumbling drum and bass groove and looping triumphant horns. The lyrics are fairly broad and non-descript, painting a picture of a dramatic, all-consuming romance, but they are merely set dressing for the bombastic groove of the song. The brief interlude before Balu describes the following song perfectly. "Give it fat, wide wheels" Garvey remarks in a studio snippet, which is exactly what the song sounds like. It's gnarly and raucous, with chunky riffs and and fuzzy, descending synth lines. The titular character is an amalgamation of all the 'bad-influence' drinking buddies Guy Garvey has had over the years, and the lyrics of the song imply a kind of 'Icarus flying too close to the sun' motif to the story, which adds a lot of depth and intrigue to the track.
The album slows down at this point, while retaining the chunkier and blockier feel to the rhythm section. Very Heaven is a nostalgic look back at Garvey's late teens after moving out for the first time. It's a cute and simple song, but I feel it is a little restricted by the bands desire for every song to have a more prominent grooves on every song. The rhythm on this one feels a little clunkier than those that preceded it on the record, and stops me fully seeping into the dreamy nostalgia the lyrics try and convey. The song is at it's best when the groove takes a backseat and is swallowed up by the atmospheric synths and chiming guitars during the chorus. On the other hand, I really like the way the grooves on Her to the Earth are presented. They're much stronger, and slightly funky, allowing for Guy's beautiful vocal range to show off a bit (with the addition of a nice backing choir for a little extra). The track contrasts between these funky, synth-y sections and more traditional Elbow chiming guitars and swooning vocals. It's the track most reminiscent to me of the sounds of the 80's prog rock that I mentioned earlier.
The second half of the record kicks of with The Picture, which is just a raw unleash of energy. The band ditches the drum grooves for something more straightfoward, and the guitars chug along. There are little progressive touches to the song (the little countermelodies just before the chorus kicks in are a lot of fun), but at its core, its just a straight up energetic rock song. The lyrics are also some the best on the record, focusing on the breakdown of a messy relationship, but their being a picture on the internet somewhere of the couple just enjoying themselves before it all hit the fan that is unable to be located and deleted. The idea using a picture to convey the decay and shades of grey in a relationship dynamics is a really inventive lyrical device and the song has a lot of fun with it.
Despite the strong start to the second half, as whole it feels a little thin on the ground compared to the first leg of the record. Poker Face is less than two minutes and is over in a flash, and Embers of Day is another short interlude track. In-between these sits Poker Face, which is a song that has grown on me quite a lot since first listen. It is a sombre break-up ballad, and much like Very Heaven, on first listen I thought the chunkier groove to the song didn't suit the vibe all too well. But on repeats I've really begun to appreciate the way the track layers up as it progresses, creating an atmosphere that is subtly disorienting, particularly as the jangly and chiming guitars come in during the last minute.
Embers of Day brings us into the grand finale of the record, which in typical Elbow Fashion is a massive sounding anthem in the penultimate spot followed by a quiet and reflective comedown to close out the record. Good Blood Mexico City is this records 'anthem', but in reality its nothing like One Day Like This or Open Arms. It is just a straight up rock banger that is just shy of three minutes. The song opens with a short verse section with chiming guitars before the chorus hits with a wall of thrashing distorted guitars and chanted vocals. It's even kind of punk-y (for a band that is about as far from punk as rock music gets). From the River slows it down again, and is the longest song on the record, but unfortunately I don't feel it does all that much with the length and suffers from the same problems that a lot of the other slower cuts have thus far. The groove is just a bit clunky and I feel subtler instrumentation would have suited the whimsy of the song much better.
AUDIO VERTIGO has some really excellent moments, and shows that the band have no ideas of just settling into safe and predictable song writing that a lot of artists do at 10 albums into their career. However it doesn't always pay off and it is probably the groups least consistent record for me. But there still isn't even a meh track here, and I can see the merits in all of them (even if some of the aesthetic choice don't land 100% of the time). I had the pleasure of seeing the band live last month and I can say these songs certainly hold up in the live setting next to the bands very best.
Top Tracks: Things I've Been Telling Myself for Years, Lover's Leap, Balu, Her to the Earth, The Picture, Knife Fight, Good Blood Mexico City
7/10
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