Any Elbow fan knows Garvey’s reputation as a great interview subject, a wry and thoughtful and magnanimous storyteller. On the occasion of Flying Dream 1‘s release, we caught up with Guy Garvey, calling on Zoom from his studio in England. The long pause gave the band an opportunity to explore making an album they’d always wanted to make, but never had, one that is more consistently patient and restrained than any of their other work. Which is also to say, Flying Dream 1 couldn’t have existed without the pandemic in another way. The forced moments of stillness led to an album that will be comforting to longtime Elbow fans, especially those who prefer them in their most introspective and hushed form. The album was written with the quartet - Guy Garvey, Craig Potter, Mark Potter, and Pete Turner - sending ideas back and forth from their homes during lockdown.
Given, Flying Dream 1 might not have happened if not for the pandemic. And, characteristically, it’s another collection of exquisitely crafted and poetically reflective music. That means that their new album - Flying Dream 1, out tomorrow - is their fourth in seven years. It’s been the exact opposite for Elbow - following 2014’s The Take Off And Landing And Everything, they returned with Little Fictions in 2017 and Giants Of All Sizes in 2019. They’re at the point now where, presumably, a band might’ve started to slow down a bit. In the 20 years since their debut album Asleep In The Back, Elbow have become an institution of British rock music. We’ve Got A File On You features interviews in which artists share the stories behind the extracurricular activities that dot their careers: acting gigs, guest appearances, random internet ephemera, etc.