Elephant - Assembly

An EP full of ethereal vocals and un-intrusive synths.

Label: Memphis Industries
Released: 14th November 2011
Reviewer: El Hunt

Since the demise of The White Stripes (R.I.P) there has been a bit of an empty void. Part of Jack and Meg’s appeal stemmed from a gossip-derived pleasure; the whole ‘are they, aren’t they?’ debate. There have been fairly scarce pickings since February - without indie-rock icons we’ve had to resort to speculating about the relations between far more unsavoury characters, who incidentally have far less musical talent. Never fear dear readers, the pain and torment is over. Elephant, with their wistful tunes packed full of fragility and tension, bring mammoth amounts of hearsay.

The London duo’s debut EP is called ‘Assembly’, so-called because it was made during "prolonged nights of fevered creation," assembling and breaking down ideas with such dedication that day and night "merged, and sleep became a friend and an enemy." I bet. Immaturity and sniggering aside, there is actually something very indistinct about this record, like the vague moments of dusk where colours start to fade, and you’re never quite sure whether it’s quite appropriate to put on your evening wear yet. Track ‘Twilight’ perhaps fittingly, is most mysterious and dark, and with a slight presence of James Blake’s best friend the wobble bass, it could almost belong to the same category of ‘night-bus’. ‘Assembly’ is an EP full of ethereal vocals, un-intrusive synths, and makes for some very pleasant listening. Oh, and we have music’s answer to Brangelina back now. Rating: 7/10