The 7th album from the gentle Elbow, Fictions, is a quiet but tantalizing listen, and it is full of controlled ballads that revel in approachable melancholy. This is the first album the British band has put forth since the departure of the founding member/drummer Richard Jupp, and Guy Garvey & gang experiment with airy, minimal instrumentation and subtle electronic beats that allow the husky vocals to really get the mood across. Check out the beautiful opener "Magnificent (She Says)," "Trust the Sun," & "All Disco." Also, "Gentle Storm" is, relatively speaking, upbeat with almost a danceable rhythm driving the song, with "Kindling" closing out the album on a somber note. This is the indie-exclusive, white violet pressing of the album.

• indie exclusive white / violet vinyl pressing
• music label: Concord Records 2017

reviwed by enbee 02/2017