There
is something about rainy days that can make you feel
strangely melancholic and happy at the same time. The
music created by Matt Elliott shows very similar characteristics.
Disturbing yet cosy, Elliott increasingly plays with
emotions and moods with every record, and The Mess
We Made is definitely an accomplished record in
this sense.
Originally a part-time member of avant-noise Flying
Saucer Attack and Amp, with whom he released a handful
of albums, Matt Elliott is better known as being the
brain behind dark-core experimental act The Third Eye
Foundation. The band’s first album, Semtex,
released in 1996 on his own label, Linda’s Strange
Vacation, was described as a combination of My Bloody
Valentine-type guitars and hectic drum’n’bass.
Featuring the vocal talent of Debbie Parson, this album
received critical acclaim for its complex soundscapes
and impressive maturity. Following a collection of Elliott’s
remixes, In Versions, Ghost was The
Third Eye Foundation’s second album, the first
for Domino. Swapping his ubiquitous guitars for samplers,
Elliott presented with this record a darker facet of
its talent. With two more albums, You Guys Kill
Me (1998) and Little Lost Soul (2000)
and a second collection of remixes, I Poo Poo In
Your Juju, including tracks by Yann
Tiersen, Tarwater
and Fautline, Elliott finally releases his first album
under his name. Expending on the moodier ambiences of
Little Lost Soul, The Mess We Made
sees Elliott delving deeper into introspective melodies
and soundscapes. Building the majority of his compositions
around guitars and pianos, and relying on restrained
string work and effects to support the fragile melodic
structures, Elliott develops his themes across each
piece, breaking them into smaller autonomous sections,
yet cleverly working on the interactions between each
element to build an extremely coherent record. The contemplative
nature of his compositions is highlighted by the use
of his textured vocals. Layered, reversed, twisted,
Elliott’s voice almost becomes a simple component
amongst others. Even on the drunken The Sinking
Ship Song, where the voice seems to appear in its
raw form, it rapidly becomes obvious as the song evolves
that it is only a trick of the mind. Remains the touching
naivety and underlying perversion of the melodies, delicately
chiselled to accommodate the incredible variety of the
instrumentation. Only very occasionally introducing
drums to give a bit more structure to the songs, Elliott
allows his compositions to drift slowly, before bringing
them back down to earth through a change of direction
or a twist in the orchestration.
At times evoking a darker version of Yann
Tiersen, Matt Elliott presents here his most intimate
and fascinating record to date. A genuinely beautiful
record, The Mess We Made will have you coming
back again and again.
4.8/5 |
