mp3: "Tailwind" - Elva

words: Joseph Emmett

Time can be a funny thing when it comes to music.  After years of seeing Allo’ Darlin’s name showered with praise on the pages of various music sites and publications, I only came to their brilliant music following the announcement that they were splitting up. However, there have been some great records released by the band’s members following their demise. Bill Botting, bassist in Allo’ Darlin, has released a stunning LP under the guise of his Bill Botting and The Two Drinks Minimum project, an LP laden with an excellent cover of Paul Simon’s Graceland and potential song of the year "Treating You Right". And now, here we are, welcoming another fruitful offering by one of the band’s members to the world, this time from Elizabeth Morris.

Comprised of members from Allo’ Darlin and Marking Mark’s, the four-piece’s first offering from their debut single, coming out on Where It’s At Is Where You Are (WIAIWYA) on 7th December, as part of their annual singles club, is excellent. Restrained and controlled throughout its duration, "Tailwind" is a beautifully elegant affair – its emotional weight coming from its subtlety and depth. Intricate, interlocking guitars compliment soft, gentle vocals and harmonies – "Tailwind" is the type of song that draws you in further and further the more you listen to it, a piece of music that you feel privileged to have listened to.  However it all clicks into a different gear come the song’s chorus. Sparkling keyboards dominate while an arms aloft chorus of “But there is a deeper higher meaning to our place on the planet…” ensues. It’s a moment of clarity and excitement merging — a song that makes you appreciate the color of leaves, and the little things that make life worthwhile.