elliot. - Informant
That elliot. is his own multi-instrumentalist artist can be heard on acclaimed 2020 debut solo album As He Now Appears, which ranged from deliciously dark ambience to more experimental pieces.
That he also ploughs his own musical furrow is evident by the fact he writes and records under his first name only – his father is Bill Nelson, the creative force behind 70s art-rockers Be-Bop Deluxe and highly individualistic solo artist these last forty-five years (Elliot was also the guitarist in noted cult/ underground band Honeytone Cody, featuring his sibling Elle Nelson).
In terms of creative artistry, elliot. is a chip off the old Nelson block, but musically this is no like father like son pastiche; this is a composer and artist with his own sound, heard to impressive and dramatic effect on second solo album Informant.
While Informant is, texturally, the natural successor to As He Now Appears, elliot. has broadened the scope of his progressive instrumental soundscapes, which range from ambient, dark and rhythmic to sinister, frenetic and deceptively complex.
The results are an interesting array of pieces based on, as elliot's Bandcamp text notes detail, "themes of societal disintegration" influenced by modern life; a musical reflection on greed, corruption and vulnerability.
The shorter summation is "a surrealist protest with no words," as emphasised (albeit with words) on short opening piece 'Tory Boy,' which, over a background of dark synths, carries a recording of one of many PR flops by then Prime Minister Richi Sunak (volunteering at a soup kitchen then asking a homeless person "do you work in business?").
Following track 'Here We Compete' is, through its rhythmic synth-pop shifts, akin to later-era Jean Michelle Jarre (no bad thing); 'Super-Moon' then returns to the darker electro-tones with, in some satellite irony, plenty of atmosphere.
The slower 'Once I Was' is a reflective, acoustic guitar led track while vignette piece 'Jolie Ladie' follows a more synth and what sounds like a mandolin nu-folk orientated path.
'Plutarchy' is one of the more sinister pieces on Informant; contrast is then provided by the acoustic guitar led 'Lamplight,' which acts as a short, mid-album interlude.
The dark and complex 'Arte Disco,' a highlight of the album, is another that reminds of later era Jean Michelle Jarre, but with that slightly sinister tone that permeates through a number of the tracks.
The frenetic 'The Naive and the Corrupt,' the longest piece on the album at just under six minutes, is another dark, sinister, and rhythmic highlight.
It’s followed by one of the most interesting tracks on the album, 'Bell Jar,' which nods to the soundscapes and textures of Fripp & Eno.
The more downtempo 'Doctrines and Tenets' carries an electro-jazzy ambience, which gives Informant yet another texture; closing track 'Error' returns to the rhythmically darker, electro-sinister tones that form such a central core of the album.
elliot. is far from the only exponent of electro-instrumental music, but as borne out by the creativity displayed on As He Now Appears and, now, Informant, he’s one of the more intriguing and interesting artists mining from that particular genre's darker musical seam.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Informant (and As He Now Appears) here: https://elliot8.bandcamp.com/album/informant
That he also ploughs his own musical furrow is evident by the fact he writes and records under his first name only – his father is Bill Nelson, the creative force behind 70s art-rockers Be-Bop Deluxe and highly individualistic solo artist these last forty-five years (Elliot was also the guitarist in noted cult/ underground band Honeytone Cody, featuring his sibling Elle Nelson).
In terms of creative artistry, elliot. is a chip off the old Nelson block, but musically this is no like father like son pastiche; this is a composer and artist with his own sound, heard to impressive and dramatic effect on second solo album Informant.
While Informant is, texturally, the natural successor to As He Now Appears, elliot. has broadened the scope of his progressive instrumental soundscapes, which range from ambient, dark and rhythmic to sinister, frenetic and deceptively complex.
The results are an interesting array of pieces based on, as elliot's Bandcamp text notes detail, "themes of societal disintegration" influenced by modern life; a musical reflection on greed, corruption and vulnerability.
The shorter summation is "a surrealist protest with no words," as emphasised (albeit with words) on short opening piece 'Tory Boy,' which, over a background of dark synths, carries a recording of one of many PR flops by then Prime Minister Richi Sunak (volunteering at a soup kitchen then asking a homeless person "do you work in business?").
Following track 'Here We Compete' is, through its rhythmic synth-pop shifts, akin to later-era Jean Michelle Jarre (no bad thing); 'Super-Moon' then returns to the darker electro-tones with, in some satellite irony, plenty of atmosphere.
The slower 'Once I Was' is a reflective, acoustic guitar led track while vignette piece 'Jolie Ladie' follows a more synth and what sounds like a mandolin nu-folk orientated path.
'Plutarchy' is one of the more sinister pieces on Informant; contrast is then provided by the acoustic guitar led 'Lamplight,' which acts as a short, mid-album interlude.
The dark and complex 'Arte Disco,' a highlight of the album, is another that reminds of later era Jean Michelle Jarre, but with that slightly sinister tone that permeates through a number of the tracks.
The frenetic 'The Naive and the Corrupt,' the longest piece on the album at just under six minutes, is another dark, sinister, and rhythmic highlight.
It’s followed by one of the most interesting tracks on the album, 'Bell Jar,' which nods to the soundscapes and textures of Fripp & Eno.
The more downtempo 'Doctrines and Tenets' carries an electro-jazzy ambience, which gives Informant yet another texture; closing track 'Error' returns to the rhythmically darker, electro-sinister tones that form such a central core of the album.
elliot. is far from the only exponent of electro-instrumental music, but as borne out by the creativity displayed on As He Now Appears and, now, Informant, he’s one of the more intriguing and interesting artists mining from that particular genre's darker musical seam.
Ross Muir
FabricationsHQ
Purchase Informant (and As He Now Appears) here: https://elliot8.bandcamp.com/album/informant