Matt Elliott is an English guitarist and singer-songwriter, originally from Bristol, England and now based in France, who plays dark folk music. He also produced and recorded electronic music under the name The Third Eye Foundation.[1]

Matt Elliott
Also known asThe Third Eye Foundation
OriginBristol, England
GenresElectronic music, slowcore, neoclassical folk
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar, vocals
Years active1996–present
LabelsLinda's Strange Vacation, Planet, Domino, Fat Cat, Merge, Ici, d'ailleurs..., Acuarela
Websitethirdeyefoundation.com

Biography

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Elliott started recording with the band Linda's Strange Vacation, which included Kate Wright (Movietone) and Rachel Brook (Movietone/Flying Saucer Attack), around the time Wright and Brook formed Movietone, and Brook and Dave Pearce formed Flying Saucer Attack. Elliott was a part-time member of both bands.[2]

He recorded Semtex, his first album under the name The Third Eye Foundation, and released it on his own record label, Linda's Strange Vacation, with the help of the fledgling Domino Recording Company. The next three albums were released on Domino in 1997, 1998 and 2000.

As Third Eye Foundation, Elliott worked with bands and artists including Amp, Hood, Yann Tiersen, Mogwai, Ulver, Tarwater, The Pastels, Navigator, Urchin, Suncoil Sect, Remote Viewer, and Thurston Moore primarily as a remixer. In 2001, a compilation album of his remixes was released.

In 2003, he released his first album under his own name, The Mess We Made, which marked a stylistic shift from The Third Eye Foundation releases.[1][3][4] The next three albums were released as a trilogy on the French label Ici, d'ailleurs.... By the release of Drinking Songs (2004), his sound had changed considerably from his earlier work, now being compared to Tindersticks and The Black Heart Procession.[5]

On Yann Tiersen's 2009 tour, Elliott was support act, and later in the show was part of Yann's band onstage.

Discography

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All recordings were released under the Third Eye Foundation name up to and including 2001's I Poo Poo on Your Juju, later recordings were released under Elliott's own name. 2010's The Dark was again released under The Third Eye Foundation.[2]

Studio albums

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As The Third Eye Foundation

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As Matt Elliott

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  • The Mess We Made (2003, Merge)
  • Drinking Songs (2005, Ici, d'ailleurs.../Acuarela Records)
  • Failing Songs (2006, Ici, d'ailleurs.../Acuarela Records)
  • Howling Songs (2008, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • Failed Songs (2009, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • The Broken Man (2012, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • Only Myocardial Infarction Can Break Your Heart (2013, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • The Calm Before (2016, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • Songs of Resignation (2018, self published)
  • Selected Works (2019, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • Farewell to All We Know (2020, Ici, d'ailleurs...)
  • The End of Days (2023, Ici, d'ailleurs...)

Singles

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  • "Universal Cooler" (1996, Planet Records)
  • "Semtex" (1997, Domino)
  • "Stars Are Down" (1997, 7" given away with Obsessive Eye magazine, split with KS Kollective)
  • "Sound of Violence" (1997, Domino)
  • "There's No End in Sight" (1998, Fat Cat Records, split with V/Vm)
  • "Fear of a Wack Planet" (1998, Domino)
  • "In Bristol with a Pistol" (1999, Domino)
  • "What Is It With You?" (2000, Domino)
  • "Borderline Schizophrenic" (2003, Domino)

Filmography

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  • What a Fuck Am I Doing on This Battlefield – documentary by Nico Peltier and Julien Fezans (2013, 53min)

References

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  1. ^ a b Diver, Mike (21 December 2006). "ReDiScover: Third Eye Foundation". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  2. ^ a b Stannard, Joseph (September 2010). "Matt Elliott". The Wire. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  3. ^ Kellman, Andy. Matt Elliott Biography. Allmusic. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  4. ^ Petrusich, Amanda (15 June 2003). Matt Elliott The Mess We Made. Pitchfork Media. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  5. ^ Raggett, Ned. Drinking Songs Review. Allmusic. Retrieved 26 December 2011.
  6. ^ "OuMuPo". 0101. Archived from the original on 15 October 2006.
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