Elliot Minor – Solaris
The second album from York’s Elliot Minor is a complex mixture of rock and classical music, which are combine to form a rich and melodic sound. The band is currently towards the end of a UK tour to promote Solaris and have been receiving some good reviews for their live work. Lead singer Alex Davis has a tremendous vocal range and a voice which is powerful enough to stand out from the cacophony of instrumental backing, most of the time at least.
Fans of Elliot Minor’s debut album will doubtless enjoy their latest offering, but there is a somewhat formulaic feel to many of the tracks on the album. What at first seems new and interesting ultimately fails to satisfy as yet another catchy chorus backed with orchestral strings follows on from the last. The album does open strongly with The Dancer, which features some nice keyboard work before the guitars kick in, but the next few tracks could really be run together to form one long piece.
All Along bucks the trend, providing Davis with an opportunity to shine backed only by a piano, and the result is a very nice ballad. But then it’s back to catchy pop mixed with orchestral harmonies and I can’t shake the feeling that a band with such obvious musical talent should be producing more variety in their work.