Elbow Release ‘Empires’, From Forthcoming Album, ‘Giants Of All Sizes’
The new tracks is an addition to the band’s headline festival sets over the summer, including a massive, sold out, homecoming show at Castlefield Bowl in July.
Elbow have released ‘Empires’ the first single from their eighth studio album, Giants of All Sizes. You can check the new track out below.
‘Empires’ has been a new addition to the band’s headline festival sets over the summer, including a massive, sold out, homecoming show at Castlefield Bowl in July. It was one of the first tracks to be recorded for the album, the original version being laid down at Clouds Hill Studios in Hamburg. The location was an analogue paradise where the band experimented with the vintage equipment available and were encouraged to build tracks together in a live setting, a departure from recent recording sessions.
For producer and keyboardist Craig Potter, the environment and location of Clouds Hill had a major effect on the track, offering the freedom to experiment:
“We thought the studio would give us inner city vibes but we were on the edge of Hamburg which meant we spent more time in Clouds Hill rather than exploring. With time to spare, we sat around and played together in a way we haven’t for a long time and experimented and improvised with the music which led to the looser feel you hear on ‘Empires’”.
‘Empires’ is a key example of the ‘bruised heart’ that singer and lyricist Guy Garvey has identified as being at the core of Giants of All Sizes. An insidious, beguiling melody hides a lyric of darkness and despair, tempered by acceptance of the temporary nature of human life.
This rumination on the banality of death; ‘How can a bland, unremarkable, typical Tuesday be Day of the Dead?’, finds a parallel in the collapse of the public alongside the personal, the crumbling of empires on the micro and macro scale, a veiled comment on the current state of the country.
As uDiscover Music previously reported, Giants of All Sizes is released on 11 October on Vinyl album, CD, Limited Cassette and download.
Elbow have also been announced as one of four ambassadors for this year’s National Album Day, which takes place on Saturday, 12 October, representing the North of England.
Giants Of All Sizes is out on 11 October and can be bought here.
UK English
