Arriving three years after
The Take Off and Landing of Everything -- a span of time that also saw leader
Guy Garvey taking a busman's holiday with
Courting the Squall --
Little Fictions showcases a different but eminently recognizable
Elbow. Seven albums into their career,
Elbow remain a deliberate, contemplative group -- that's part of their DNA -- but
Little Fictions feels optimistic, particularly when it's compared to the elegiac
The Take Off and Landing of Everything. Where that album dwelled on the idea of loss,
Little Fictions is its counterbalance, a record about new beginnings. This shift is evident in the music, which is lighter on its surface and complex at its foundation.
Elbow emphasize electronic rhythms, sometimes even conjuring a groove, yet they still find space for chiming guitars, such as "All Disco," which sounds like
R.E.M. doing their best
Velvet Underground impression. All of it adds up to an album that feels quietly hopeful, making it a tonic for troubled times. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine