Giants of All Sizes is the eighth studio album by British alternative rock band Elbow, released on Polydor Records on 11 October 2019. The album has a darker lyrical tone than previous Elbow albums, with singer Guy Garvey's lyrics relating to Brexit, the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy and the deaths of his father and two close friends. It was widely praised by critics, and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one, becoming the band's third consecutive chart-topping studio album.
During the writing and recording of Giants of All Sizes three people close to the band died: Guy Garvey's father Don died of lung cancer in March 2018, and in October 2018 two close friends of the group who lived and worked in Manchester, Scott Alexander (owner of live venues Big Hands and the Temple) and Jan Oldenburg (owner of the Night and Day Café, where Elbow gained their first record deal), both died unexpectedly within eight days of each other.[2][3] The album's liner notes carry a dedication to all three men.[4] Garvey stated that these deaths greatly affected the band and influenced the "darker place" that the album comes from. "Dexter & Sinister" is a reference to the left and right sides of a heraldic design – Manchester's coat of arms includes a shield with an antelope and a lion as supporters on either side, and Garvey said that he now pictured the shield without the two animals, representing the fact that Alexander and Oldenburg were no longer around.[2]
Other songs on the album also touch on the subject of death. "The Delayed 3:15" tells the story of a man who committed suicide by throwing himself under a train that Garvey was travelling on between Manchester and London, causing the train to be held up while the body was retrieved. Garvey had been trying to write lyrics during the journey for the song's music, which had been composed by guitarist Mark Potter, and he noted that the spot where the suicide occurred was one of the less picturesque places along the train route, and that the man had therefore seen no beauty in the act he committed.[2][5] "Empires" acknowledges that someone somewhere in the world is always affected by deaths, natural disasters or job losses,[2] and also describes Garvey's belief that Brexit will trigger the eventual break-up of the European Union.[6]
Another recurring theme on the album is the divisions in societies. "Dexter & Sinister"'s title alludes to the sharp division in the UK between the voters of the Leave and Remain sides in the Brexit debate. "White Noise White Heat" expresses Garvey's anger at the neglect by the authorities that led to the Grenfell Tower fire and the lack of justice for the affected families in its aftermath, stating that it was "because they were poor". "Doldrums" describes an event in Vancouver, where Garvey was accompanying his wife Rachel Stirling while she was filming The Bletchley Circle,[5] when he saw a well-dressed woman walk down the street past homeless men, who stepped aside to let her through, and she never acknowledged them.
Garvey also stated that despite the album's subdued tone, the record tries to find comfort in personal relationships. "My Trouble" and "On Deronda Road" are tributes to his wife and son, respectively, with the latter describing the happy memory of a bus journey Garvey made with his young son in south London, passing the Deronda Road bus stop. On closing track "Weightless" Garvey notes the similarities and connections between himself, his newborn son and his dying father, and said, "Jack's arrival really helped me through Dad's death, because it made Dad's death part of things, rather than the end of things. And it made my own life part of things, rather than the point of things."[5]
ArtworkEdit
The album cover artwork is a stock photograph from Visual China Group (VCG) licensed to Getty Images, showing a crowded Chinese swimming pool in summer. Garvey explained to Music Week that the band had wanted to use an image that showed as many people as possible, to depict a wide range of human emotions and interactions, and which could be opened out to display a larger photograph on gatefold versions of the album.[1]
Release and promotionEdit
The band shared the album's first single, "Dexter & Sinister", online on 1 August 2019[7] and made the song available to purchase as a download and as a single-sided 10" vinyl record on 2 August 2019.[8] On 7 August 2019 it was announced that Giants of All Sizes would be released on 11 October 2019.[9] A second single, "Empires", was made available to stream and download on 21 August 2019.[10] "White Noise White Heat" was shared online as the album's third single on 3 October 2019.[11]
On 7 October 2019 it was announced that to celebrate National Album Day on 12 October, a special "don't skip" CD version Giants of All Sizes featuring the entire album as one single track would be available for that day only.[1] A UK tour in March and April 2020 in support of the album was announced on 20 September 2019.[12]
Roisin O'Connor of The Independent called it "perhaps their greatest album since their Mercury Prize-winning breakthrough The Seldom Seen Kid" and "more explicit statements on social and political affairs than we're used to from Elbow".[18]The Guardian's Alexis Petridis called it "a succession of troubling songs", noting the references to Grenfell Tower fire and deaths of Garvey's father and two close friends, and that Giants of All Sizes "digs into prog's more disruptive side, the wilful awkwardness expressed by its jarring time signatures, unpredictable shifts and knotty cramp-inducing riffs", but concluded that the album "is richer and stranger than anything they've released since their commercial breakthrough" and that the style suited them.[17] In Q Dorian Lynskey said that for much of the album "Elbow use ominous rhythms and keyboard drones to paint with a different palette: bruise-violet and midnight blue". He stated that Garvey's vocals were also changed, "willing to sit with his fears than chase them away with optimism and charm".[21] Steven Edelstone of Paste noted that "Garvey's lyrical frustration with the outside world is accompanied by louder and heavier instrumentals than anything we've heard since The Seldom Seen Kid's 'Grounds for Divorce'" but that although the music and lyrics expressed anger at "post-Brexit malaise" and death, the band find hope for the future in family and friends.[20] Writing for Mojo, Victoria Segal said that "grand images ... are used to describe bereavement, decline, a nation in a state" and that "Elbow reflect an unruly world here, but if they sometimes lose faith, they never lose heart."[19] A negative review came from Will Hodgkinson of The Times, who felt that "Elbow's trademark hypnotic tastefulness has merely been welded on to a bit of heavy subject matter and the result is naggingly unsatisfying."[22]
Track listingEdit
All music written by Elbow, all lyrics written by Guy Garvey.
"Dexter & Sinister" – 7:00 on physical and download versions, 6:40 on streaming version
^ abcHomewood, Ben (7 October 2019). "Elbow to release single-track version of Giants Of All Sizes for National Album Day". Music Week. Retrieved 16 October 2019.
^ abcd"Giants of All Sizes – track by track guide". Apple Music. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Garner, George (18 October 2019). "'It's a heavy record': Elbow's Guy Garvey on their chart-storming new album Giants Of All Sizes". Music Week. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^ abElbow. Giants of All Sizes (liner notes). Polydor Records. 0822430.
^ abcMurphy, Lauren (11 October 2019). "Guy Garvey: 'My son's birth made my Dad's death part of things, rather than the end of things'". The Irish Times. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Pfeiffer, Sacha (13 October 2019). "On 'Giants Of All Sizes', Elbow Offers Hope In Political Darkness". NPR. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Trendell, Andrew (1 August 2019). "Listen to Elbow's groove and blues infused new single 'Dexter & Sinister'". NME. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Ewing, Jerry (1 August 2019). "Elbow release seven-minute new single Dexter & Sinister". Prog. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Earls, John (7 August 2019). "'Bleak, but with a huge heart' – Elbow tell NME about new album 'Giants Of All Sizes'". NME. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^Skinner, Tom (21 August 2019). "Listen to Elbow's experimental new single 'Empires'". NME. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Roberts, Christopher (3 October 2019). "Elbow Share Lyric Video for New Song 'White Noise White Heat'". Under the Radar. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^Earls, John (20 September 2019). "Elbow announce new 'Giants Of All Sizes' tour – including multiple residencies". NME. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^"Reviews – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". AnyDecentMusic?. Retrieved 15 October 2019.
^"Reviews – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". Metacritic. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^Monger, James Christopher. "Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". AllMusic.
^McCormick, Neil (10 October 2019). "Elbow, Giants of All Sizes, review: gorgeous melodies from Guy Garvey's dark night of the soul". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^ abPetridis, Alexis (10 October 2019). "Elbow: Giants of All Sizes review – a rich vision of broken Britain". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^ abO'Connor, Roisin (10 October 2019). "Album reviews: Kim Gordon – No Home Record and Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". The Independent. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^ abSegal, Victoria (November 2019). "Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". Mojo. No. 312. p. 87.
^ abEdelstone, Steven (11 October 2019). "Elbow Return Angrier and Heavier Than Ever on Giants of All Sizes". Paste. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^ abLynskey, Dorian (November 2019). "Dark Night of the Soul". Q. No. 404. p. 113.
^ abHodgkinson, Will (10 October 2019). "Elbow: Giants of All Sizes review – attempts to take on big subjects has them floundering". The Times. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
^"Elbow – Giants of All Sizes". Uncut. November 2019. p. 25.
^. auspOp. 19 October 2019. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
^"Austriancharts.at – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes" (in German). Hung Medien. Retrieved 25 October 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^"Ultratop.be – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^"Dutchcharts.nl – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^"Offiziellecharts.de – Elbow – Giants of All Sizes" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
^"Irish Albums Chart: 18 October 2019". Irish Recorded Music Association. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
giants, sizes, eighth, studio, album, british, alternative, rock, band, elbow, released, polydor, records, october, 2019, album, darker, lyrical, tone, than, previous, elbow, albums, with, singer, garvey, lyrics, relating, brexit, grenfell, tower, fire, traged. Giants of All Sizes is the eighth studio album by British alternative rock band Elbow released on Polydor Records on 11 October 2019 The album has a darker lyrical tone than previous Elbow albums with singer Guy Garvey s lyrics relating to Brexit the Grenfell Tower fire tragedy and the deaths of his father and two close friends It was widely praised by critics and entered the UK Albums Chart at number one becoming the band s third consecutive chart topping studio album Giants of All SizesStudio album by ElbowReleased11 October 2019 2019 10 11 StudioClouds Hill Hamburg The Dairy Brixton 604 Studios Vancouver Blueprint Studios Salford Band members home studios 1 Length40 02LabelPolydorProducerCraig PotterElbow chronologyLittle Fictions 2017 Giants of All Sizes 2019 Flying Dream 1 2021 Singles from Giants of All Sizes Dexter amp Sinister Released 1 August 2019 Empires Released 21 August 2019 White Noise White Heat Released 3 October 2019 Contents 1 Writing and composition 2 Artwork 3 Release and promotion 4 Critical reception 5 Track listing 6 Personnel 7 Charts 8 ReferencesWriting and composition EditDuring the writing and recording of Giants of All Sizes three people close to the band died Guy Garvey s father Don died of lung cancer in March 2018 and in October 2018 two close friends of the group who lived and worked in Manchester Scott Alexander owner of live venues Big Hands and the Temple and Jan Oldenburg owner of the Night and Day Cafe where Elbow gained their first record deal both died unexpectedly within eight days of each other 2 3 The album s liner notes carry a dedication to all three men 4 Garvey stated that these deaths greatly affected the band and influenced the darker place that the album comes from Dexter amp Sinister is a reference to the left and right sides of a heraldic design Manchester s coat of arms includes a shield with an antelope and a lion as supporters on either side and Garvey said that he now pictured the shield without the two animals representing the fact that Alexander and Oldenburg were no longer around 2 Other songs on the album also touch on the subject of death The Delayed 3 15 tells the story of a man who committed suicide by throwing himself under a train that Garvey was travelling on between Manchester and London causing the train to be held up while the body was retrieved Garvey had been trying to write lyrics during the journey for the song s music which had been composed by guitarist Mark Potter and he noted that the spot where the suicide occurred was one of the less picturesque places along the train route and that the man had therefore seen no beauty in the act he committed 2 5 Empires acknowledges that someone somewhere in the world is always affected by deaths natural disasters or job losses 2 and also describes Garvey s belief that Brexit will trigger the eventual break up of the European Union 6 Another recurring theme on the album is the divisions in societies Dexter amp Sinister s title alludes to the sharp division in the UK between the voters of the Leave and Remain sides in the Brexit debate White Noise White Heat expresses Garvey s anger at the neglect by the authorities that led to the Grenfell Tower fire and the lack of justice for the affected families in its aftermath stating that it was because they were poor Doldrums describes an event in Vancouver where Garvey was accompanying his wife Rachel Stirling while she was filming The Bletchley Circle 5 when he saw a well dressed woman walk down the street past homeless men who stepped aside to let her through and she never acknowledged them Garvey also stated that despite the album s subdued tone the record tries to find comfort in personal relationships My Trouble and On Deronda Road are tributes to his wife and son respectively with the latter describing the happy memory of a bus journey Garvey made with his young son in south London passing the Deronda Road bus stop On closing track Weightless Garvey notes the similarities and connections between himself his newborn son and his dying father and said Jack s arrival really helped me through Dad s death because it made Dad s death part of things rather than the end of things And it made my own life part of things rather than the point of things 5 Artwork EditThe album cover artwork is a stock photograph from Visual China Group VCG licensed to Getty Images showing a crowded Chinese swimming pool in summer Garvey explained to Music Week that the band had wanted to use an image that showed as many people as possible to depict a wide range of human emotions and interactions and which could be opened out to display a larger photograph on gatefold versions of the album 1 Release and promotion EditThe band shared the album s first single Dexter amp Sinister online on 1 August 2019 7 and made the song available to purchase as a download and as a single sided 10 vinyl record on 2 August 2019 8 On 7 August 2019 it was announced that Giants of All Sizes would be released on 11 October 2019 9 A second single Empires was made available to stream and download on 21 August 2019 10 White Noise White Heat was shared online as the album s third single on 3 October 2019 11 On 7 October 2019 it was announced that to celebrate National Album Day on 12 October a special don t skip CD version Giants of All Sizes featuring the entire album as one single track would be available for that day only 1 A UK tour in March and April 2020 in support of the album was announced on 20 September 2019 12 Critical reception EditProfessional ratingsAggregate scoresSourceRatingAnyDecentMusic 7 9 10 13 Metacritic84 100 14 Review scoresSourceRatingAllMusic nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 15 The Daily Telegraph nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 16 The Guardian nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 17 The Independent nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 18 Mojo nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 19 Paste8 0 10 20 Q nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 21 The Times nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 22 Uncut nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp nbsp 23 Roisin O Connor of The Independent called it perhaps their greatest album since their Mercury Prize winning breakthrough The Seldom Seen Kid and more explicit statements on social and political affairs than we re used to from Elbow 18 The Guardian s Alexis Petridis called it a succession of troubling songs noting the references to Grenfell Tower fire and deaths of Garvey s father and two close friends and that Giants of All Sizes digs into prog s more disruptive side the wilful awkwardness expressed by its jarring time signatures unpredictable shifts and knotty cramp inducing riffs but concluded that the album is richer and stranger than anything they ve released since their commercial breakthrough and that the style suited them 17 In Q Dorian Lynskey said that for much of the album Elbow use ominous rhythms and keyboard drones to paint with a different palette bruise violet and midnight blue He stated that Garvey s vocals were also changed willing to sit with his fears than chase them away with optimism and charm 21 Steven Edelstone of Paste noted that Garvey s lyrical frustration with the outside world is accompanied by louder and heavier instrumentals than anything we ve heard since The Seldom Seen Kid s Grounds for Divorce but that although the music and lyrics expressed anger at post Brexit malaise and death the band find hope for the future in family and friends 20 Writing for Mojo Victoria Segal said that grand images are used to describe bereavement decline a nation in a state and that Elbow reflect an unruly world here but if they sometimes lose faith they never lose heart 19 A negative review came from Will Hodgkinson of The Times who felt that Elbow s trademark hypnotic tastefulness has merely been welded on to a bit of heavy subject matter and the result is naggingly unsatisfying 22 Track listing EditAll music written by Elbow all lyrics written by Guy Garvey Dexter amp Sinister 7 00 on physical and download versions 6 40 on streaming version Seven Veils 4 36 Empires 4 00 The Delayed 3 15 3 25 White Noise White Heat 3 56 Doldrums 3 02 My Trouble 5 18 On Deronda Road 4 02 Weightless 4 45Personnel EditCredits adapted from the album s liner notes 4 Elbow Guy Garvey vocals string arrangement on The Delayed 3 15 Craig Potter keyboards Mark Potter guitars Pete Turner bass guitarAdditional personnel Violeta Barrena violin on The Delayed 3 15 Chilli Chilton backing vocals on Doldrums Marius de Vries string arrangement on My Trouble Sarah Field trumpet tenor saxophone and soprano saxophone on Dexter amp Sinister Jesca Hoop additional vocals on Dexter amp Sinister The Plumedores Dean Casement Andy Hargreaves Danny McTague Mark Potter Mat Skinner vocals on On Deronda Road Alex Reeves drums on all tracks except My Trouble and On Deronda Road percussion on Seven Veils Empires and White Noise White Heat Matt Robertson string arrangement on My Trouble Nathan Nathan Sudders Sudders vocals on On Deronda Road The Halle Orchestra strings on White Noise White Heat and My Trouble Conductor Jonathan Heyward First violin Sarah Ewins leader Nicola Clarke Zoe Coleman Peter Liang Michelle Marsh Steven Proctor Second violin Rosemary Attree Paulette Bayley Elizabeth Bosworth Helena Buckie Philippa Heys John Purton Viola Cameron Campbell Chris Emerson Julian Mottram Timothy Pooley Cello Dale Culliford Jane Hallett David Petri Clare Rowe Nick Trygstad Simon Turner Double bass Daniel Storer Yi Xin Salvage Production Craig Potter production mixing Danny Evans engineer Tom Baird additional engineer on Dexter amp Sinister Empires White Noise White Heat On Deronda Road and Weightless Pedro Dzelme assistant engineer on Doldrums Charlie Leake additional engineer on Dexter amp Sinister Empires White Noise White Heat On Deronda Road and Weightless Sebastian Muxfeldt additional engineer on Dexter amp Sinister Empires and Weightless Gary Hadfield assistant engineer on Dexter amp Sinister The Delayed 3 15 White Noise White Heat and My Trouble Katie May assistant engineer on Empires White Noise White Heat and Weightless Ollie Middleton assistant engineer on Empires White Noise White Heat and Weightless Ian Stewart assistant engineer on Dexter amp Sinister Seven Veils The Delayed 3 15 and White Noise White Heat VGC cover photography Elbow art directionCharts EditChart 2019 PeakpositionAustralian Albums ARIA 24 60Austrian Albums O3 Austria 25 58Belgian Albums Ultratop Flanders 26 5Belgian Albums Ultratop Wallonia 27 38Dutch Albums Album Top 100 28 10German Albums Offizielle Top 100 29 32Irish Albums IRMA 30 6Scottish Albums OCC 31 1Swiss Albums Schweizer Hitparade 32 27UK Albums OCC 33 1References Edit a b c Homewood Ben 7 October 2019 Elbow to release single track version of Giants Of All Sizes for National Album Day Music Week Retrieved 16 October 2019 a b c d Giants of All Sizes track by track guide Apple Music Retrieved 18 October 2019 Garner George 18 October 2019 It s a heavy record Elbow s Guy Garvey on their chart storming new album Giants Of All Sizes Music Week Retrieved 18 October 2019 a b Elbow Giants of All Sizes liner notes Polydor Records 0822430 a b c Murphy Lauren 11 October 2019 Guy Garvey My son s birth made my Dad s death part of things rather than the end of things The Irish Times Retrieved 18 October 2019 Pfeiffer Sacha 13 October 2019 On Giants Of All Sizes Elbow Offers Hope In Political Darkness NPR Retrieved 18 October 2019 Trendell Andrew 1 August 2019 Listen to Elbow s groove and blues infused new single Dexter amp Sinister NME Retrieved 18 October 2019 Ewing Jerry 1 August 2019 Elbow release seven minute new single Dexter amp Sinister Prog Retrieved 18 October 2019 Earls John 7 August 2019 Bleak but with a huge heart Elbow tell NME about new album Giants Of All Sizes NME Retrieved 11 October 2019 Skinner Tom 21 August 2019 Listen to Elbow s experimental new single Empires NME Retrieved 18 October 2019 Roberts Christopher 3 October 2019 Elbow Share Lyric Video for New Song White Noise White Heat Under the Radar Retrieved 18 October 2019 Earls John 20 September 2019 Elbow announce new Giants Of All Sizes tour including multiple residencies NME Retrieved 18 October 2019 Reviews Elbow Giants of All Sizes AnyDecentMusic Retrieved 15 October 2019 Reviews Elbow Giants of All Sizes Metacritic Retrieved 11 October 2019 Monger James Christopher Elbow Giants of All Sizes AllMusic McCormick Neil 10 October 2019 Elbow Giants of All Sizes review gorgeous melodies from Guy Garvey s dark night of the soul The Daily Telegraph Retrieved 11 October 2019 a b Petridis Alexis 10 October 2019 Elbow Giants of All Sizes review a rich vision of broken Britain The Guardian Retrieved 11 October 2019 a b O Connor Roisin 10 October 2019 Album reviews Kim Gordon No Home Record and Elbow Giants of All Sizes The Independent Retrieved 11 October 2019 a b Segal Victoria November 2019 Elbow Giants of All Sizes Mojo No 312 p 87 a b Edelstone Steven 11 October 2019 Elbow Return Angrier and Heavier Than Ever on Giants of All Sizes Paste Retrieved 11 October 2019 a b Lynskey Dorian November 2019 Dark Night of the Soul Q No 404 p 113 a b Hodgkinson Will 10 October 2019 Elbow Giants of All Sizes review attempts to take on big subjects has them floundering The Times Retrieved 11 October 2019 Elbow Giants of All Sizes Uncut November 2019 p 25 ARIA Chart Watch 547 auspOp 19 October 2019 Archived from the original on 19 October 2019 Retrieved 19 October 2019 Austriancharts at Elbow Giants of All Sizes in German Hung Medien Retrieved 25 October 2019 Ultratop be Elbow Giants of All Sizes in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved 18 October 2019 Ultratop be Elbow Giants of All Sizes in French Hung Medien Retrieved 18 October 2019 Dutchcharts nl Elbow Giants of All Sizes in Dutch Hung Medien Retrieved 18 October 2019 Offiziellecharts de Elbow Giants of All Sizes in German GfK Entertainment Charts Retrieved 18 October 2019 Irish Albums Chart 18 October 2019 Irish Recorded Music Association Retrieved 19 October 2019 Official Scottish Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 19 October 2019 Swisscharts com Elbow Giants of All Sizes Hung Medien Retrieved 23 October 2019 Official Albums Chart Top 100 Official Charts Company Retrieved 19 October 2019 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Giants of All Sizes amp oldid 1178331329, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
