★★★★★

Spearheaded by the brilliant lyricism of Guy Garvey, Elbow has been crafting some of the most beautiful ballads of the past few decades. Whilst this has remained a constant, frequent listeners of the group will no doubt have noticed how their sound will shift across records, ‘Flying Dream 1’ is no different, in fact, it’s their most expansive, progressive and at times, classical in nature, album to date.

Previous record ‘Giants of All Sizes’ tackled Garvey’s feelings following the passing of his father, Brexit and the Grenfell Tower tragedy. Like the grief that encompassed it, it felt industrial and heavy with much darker undertones. ‘Flying Dream 1’ like its title suggest is a much lighter, wider-scoped record with more ethereal tones in both the writing and the assortment of sounds and orchestration that surround it.

That’s not to say reflection isn’t prominent, the opener,  title track ‘Flying Dream 1’ sees Garvey ponder his childhood over delicate piano notes reflecting on a joy-filled and busy childhood home, Garvey notably being one of seven siblings “Dead of the night when the prayer group was gone, Mum and my sisters all blissful and feathered, Candlewick swaddled my golden wee brother, Dad's across town tonight fixing the mirror, Shaking his head at a richer man's grammar”.

Meanwhile, lead single ‘Seldom Seen Kid’ also reflects on times gone by, an ode to close friend Bryan Glancy whose passing inspired the group’s fourth record of the same name. It’s a tear-wrenching moment that imagines a time where Garvey’s wife would have gotten to meet and spend time with him “Babe, if you’d met him, I’d picture you’d sit, blasting my wisdom with two-barrelled wit, Then he’d steal you for dancing, and you’d lend him your arms, And you’d swerve in the chaos of charm”.

Written across various zoom sessions over the lockdown, the band decided to make use of Brighton’s vacant Theatre Royal. Through music videos, we’ve been able to witness its grand stage full of assorted instruments and collaborators. The live setting and atmosphere has undoubtedly treacled into the sound of the record, the absolutely divine ‘After the Eclipse’ feels like a perfect example of this, with its soothing ‘Come out into the sun’ refrain harmonised over a progressive almost, jazz-like melody. That experimentation with Jazz is expanded on ‘Is It a Bird’, as I found myself with the same smile stretched across my face as when watching Pixar’s Soul last year, both gracefully flirt and pay tribute to the genre.

At the core of the album, as with any of Garvey’s finest pieces, is that of love. ‘Six Words’ may just be the greatest Elbow love song in existence, which is heavy praise indeed for a group that can effortlessly channel the feelings of romance, bliss and being besotted with someone into a sentence at a whim. ‘Look who loves me’ heralds Garvey as he declares he knows ‘the view from on top of the world’. The track echoes the group’s sublime standalone 2015 single ‘What Time Do You Call This’. 

Meanwhile, closer ‘What Am I Without You’ has sprinklings of Damon Albarn in its spritely organ-led introduction before exploding wide open akin to Blurs very own ‘The Universal’, its both incredibly expansive yet tender and intimate at the same time, as Garvey revels in his role as a father. It’s joyous and a suitably grandiose finale to the record.

I have no quarrels in stating ‘Flying Dream 1’ is a masterpiece, it’s not just another gem in the Elbow discography but one of the finest records I’ve heard this year.