Our Song of the Day comes from The Little Unsaid with Human, the first song of the new album Atomise which is also one of you Featured Albums of the Month. In his review of the album, Thomas Blake quoted these lyrics from the song:
I dangle from the world
A milk tooth from a gum.
He adds “There is so much of what makes Elliott such a good songwriter in those eleven small words. There is the realisation that the thread that connects us to life is fine and capable of snapping at any moment. There is the implication of solitude, of existing apart from the world. There is perhaps a hint of violence associated with the loss of a tooth, and all the other imagery that a tooth can suggest: teeth seen in a dream, for example, are said to symbolise death. There is the possible allusion to a loss of innocence in the fact that it is a milk tooth. And of course, there is the visceral visual image evoked by the words, an image that is at once surreal and strangely, utterly believable. All this tells you a great deal about Elliott’s lyrical preoccupations: mental illness and the alienating effects of depression; distance from other people and the frequent need for human contact; despair and loss; hope and recovery.”
He concludes: “He [John Elliott] has carved out a niche as a poet of mental disintegration, a chronicler of very real and very difficult human emotions. But his songs are not without hope. Atomise is perhaps his darkest and most hopeful album to date. It is certainly his most expansive and fully realised.”
Pre-Order Atomise (CD/Vinyl): https://revealrecords.bigcartel.com/artist/the-little-unsaid
The Little Unsaid upcoming dates
TUE 14 MAY – The Keep, Guildford
WED 15 MAY – Paper Dress Vintage, London
THU 16 MAY – Mount Pleasant Eco Park, Truro
FRI 17 MAY – Calstock Arts, Plymouth
Tickets and more details here: http://www.thelittleunsaid.com/live
Photo Credit: Pete Millson