Elephant - Waiting Game
Info: Having made a folk album the first time round, 'HyperGiant', Elephant sheds his skin and moves on towards a new prowess of sound on his new album (title TBC) set to be released in the Summer of 2017. Heavily influenced by two of his favourite artists who have recently passed, David Bowie and Prince, it is his personal dedication to them, synth bells and saxophones in toll. If 'HyperGiant' was a coming of age folk album then this new album is his "breakup record". A departure from the quiet vistas of the acoustic and entering a busier, sweatier suburb full of wannabe actors and sweatband solos.
'Waiting Game' is a song about that very thing; moving on, and in its case, making a mountain out of it. Have you ever been stuck? You know exactly where you want to go and what you’re going to do when you get there but you just can’t figure out your first step…if you could only make that first step, momentum would get you the rest of the way. "I decided to step outside my comfort zone and make the album I really want to make. 'Waiting Game' is my first step". – Shane Clarke, aka Elephant.
At the beginning of 2015 when I first came across Elephant via single and video 'Little Ghost', I got emotional, Shane Clarke's music and vocals moved me, maybe a little bit more than I should have allowed, but you learn the importance of fully embracing moments such as that, letting go and falling into it full force, that willing abandonment can be an exhilarating experience.
HyperGiant then came along and it had so many lasting traits, humour, apprehension, colour, vividness, depth and brevity. It was essentially a modern folk album, full of stories, but also with the sprouts of something more pushing through the soil, loops and electronic effects, experimentation.
With 'Waiting Game' it seems not so much that a logical next step has occurred, but a grand swoop, head-first into the middle of an ocean of creativity. The video by Farney House itself is wonderful, and will be considered one of the best Irish video releases by years end. Here we have a complete gem of a track, an outstanding Irish single that will echo far beyond 2017. Yes it has the pace and mood of 80's Bowie, and the guitars hint at the more glam moments of Prince's repertoire, but ultimately, this is an Elephant track in every sense, this magic was always going to arrive from him.
Clarke's move towards chugging electric guitars and the heavier bass-lines that come with them, as well as the glittering effects รก la Roxy Music, make for immediately arresting listening. Just as you approach the three minute mark, Elephant has lifted you to the top of the mountain, and a sax-filled euphoria immediately follows as your willingly pushed off the ledge into Starship territory. To have two (we can assume based on this single) very contrasting albums back to back can be a risky game, but based on 'Waiting Game', who's worrying?
'Waiting Game' by Elephant will be officially released on the 12th of May on all popular streaming platforms.
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