Mess We Made

The rumors of a new, hopeful sound, if The Mess We Made is any indication, were wrong. Elliott's first effort under his own name, though it breaks stylistically from the drum 'n' bass-heavy production of TEF, is even more harrowing than even the darkest Foundation moments. And, given the cohesion of Mess, it's hard to argue with the man for playing to his strengths. Elliott has crafted a spare, haunting long-player that should please fans of his previous work.

Though the dark tone becomes oppressive at times, The Mess We Made does come with some surprises. "Also Ran," one of the standout tracks, incorporates a staccato dance rhythm midway through a mix of backward vocals and lamenting keys, only to break back into the melancholy minimalism that runs through the entire record. Elliott conducts a choir of drunks in a round of barroom fatalism on "The Sinking Ship Song," and the finale, "Forty Days," has Elliott grafting a mariachi-like guitar performance to his signature atmospherics. Even a last gasp of TEF-style jungle cuts through the title track, almost directly at the album's midpoint (hopefully, Elliott will continue to use d 'n' b breaks throughout his career -- the man knows how to drop a beat).

The abject despair of The Mess We Made can become tedious, and, more than most artists, Elliott depends on a listener who is willing to forgive him his lack of subtlety. The depressive tone is unrelenting, but that is what was captivating about the Third Eye Foundation, and what provides Elliott's first eponymous recording with its emotional backbone.

Robert Albanese
Junkmedia.org Review