Despite enjoying a current residency in the Revelation Records stable Louisville’s *Elliott *don’t exactly nestle comfortably amongst the label’s roster of predominantly hardcore acts. In fact, lined up against the likes of *Curl Up And Die *and *Shai Hulud *they probably seem like the musical equivalent of Walter the Softy facing Dennis The Menace and all his mates. For while their heart-warming dynamics may be as appealing to the hardcore community as a ‘no slam-dancing’ sign the eloquent, spiralling maturity that wraps itself around this album is reassuringly timely to assimilate.
With album artwork created from the fiery, sun bleached works of Carrie Burr, it’s turbulent textures quantify the glowing, spirited energy flowing throughout _‘Song In The Air’ _wonderfully, the surging strings that spark an enriched warmth in _‘Beijing’ _floating over it’s slow tempo like a feather in the wind.
It’s this sparkling imagery that Elliott’s music is trying to convey and you only have to look at the song titles – ‘Away We Drift’, Blue Storm’, ‘Bleed In Breathe Out’ _– to understand the kind of delicate timbre that the music creates. Chris Higdon’s vocals in _‘Carry On’ _for example, fall onto the music like raindrops on a meandering stream, lapping at pebbles of melody and crashing against steep, towering rocks of beauty.
But all this expanse is not lost in a wayward wash of creativity, the crackling dynamics cursing through _‘Drag Like Pull’ _exemplifying a band unafraid to let themselves be drawn wherever the music takes them.
Having been working on this, their third album, since July 2001 this is Elliott finally realising the ideas exposed on previous recordings, taking the time to focus and fully indulge in glorious sound-scapes and soothing arrangements, and resulting in an album that is pure golden beauty throughout.
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8Mat Hocking's Score