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Oct 23, 2019In its compositional diversity and its thoughtful commentary on the troubles we face, Giants sounds like a perfect accompaniment to this troubled period in human history.
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Oct 15, 2019There might be more anger, darkness and politics on this album but Giants Of All Sizes shows they are still fundamentally one of the best bands around at offering consolation and comfort when the surrounding turbulence threatens to get too much.
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Oct 14, 2019Though the atmosphere surrounding Giants of All Sizes is much heavier than on any of the band’s other records this decade, Garvey still finds some hope through it all. The final three songs (“My Trouble,” “On Deronda Road” and “Weightless”) are optimistic as he discovers strength in his loved ones and friends in the reverberation of all of the recent negative events in his life.
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Oct 14, 2019Giants of All Sizes is not an album to be filleted and squashed into playlists; it’s the sort of deeply serious and carefully crafted work that would sprout a beard and a cable-knit jumper if you turned your back on it for a second.
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Oct 11, 2019Lands somewhere between the widescreen dynamics of their Mercury Prize-short-listed debut, the workmanlike grandiosity of Seldom Seen Kid, and the aching melancholy of The Take Off and Landing of Everything.
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Oct 11, 2019Thoughts on suicide, homelessness, injustice, heartbreak and mortality are framed with supple grooves, melodious chords, gorgeous harmonies and lushly detailed arrangements.
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Oct 11, 2019Elbow have proven to be one of the most reliable and entertaining rock bands around and Giants of All Sizes has plenty of spectacular music to make it a 2019 top 10 contender.
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Oct 10, 2019Musically, it’s varied and adventurous; thematically, it sees the world’s present darkness and raises it hope. A vital record.
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Oct 10, 2019Perhaps their greatest album since their Mercury Prize-winning breakthrough The Seldom Seen Kid, released over a decade ago.
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Q MagazineOct 10, 2019Garvey sounds different, too, willing to sit with his fears rather than chase them away with optimism and charm. ... It's all the more moving because Elbow have taken such a raw, self-questioning route to get there. [Nov 2019, p.113]
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UncutOct 10, 2019There are moments of redemption as songs such as "On Deronda Road" and Weightless" celebrate life's capacity for renewal. But make no mistake: this is a dark record for dark times. [Nov 2019, p.25]
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MojoOct 10, 2019Elbow reflect an unruly world here, but if they sometimes lose faith, they never lose heart. [Nov 2019, p.87]
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Oct 10, 2019Musically, Giants of All Sizes is richer and stranger than anything they’ve released since their commercial breakthrough. Even when it finally settles back into more comfortable lyrical terrain – My Trouble’s hymning of cosy domesticity, On Deronda Street’s paean to parenthood – the music strays beyond their usual comfort zone: ragged and underpinned by glitchy electronic beats. It suits them out there.
Awards & Rankings
User score distribution:
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Positive: 27 out of 31
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Mixed: 0 out of 31
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Negative: 4 out of 31
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Oct 14, 2019
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Oct 18, 2019
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Oct 17, 2019