Getting some Elbow room
Over the
last five years, an increased number of UK bands that have found
success on overseas fit into a certain mould that is Coldplay,
Keane and Snow Patrol. 
At
times Manchester’s Elbow
can fit perfectly into this pot but what gives them an extra nudge
and a campaign to make room for one more, is lead singer Guy Garvey’s
excellent voice and a now well-seasoned band that is on album
number four, which walks the line between a more arty Radiohead
with catchy chorus lines of all the above.
The Seldom Seen Kid style follows their
2004 release Cast Of Thousands, which brings back the
charm of melding their tempos naturally versus trying a bit too
hard to rock out, that was a bit over the top on Leaders Of
The Free World [2005]. It all gets back to Elbow basics with
the earthy opener “Starlings” that flows musically
for several minutes before Garvey shows up, the solid bluesy romp
of “Grounds For Divorce” will leave you wanting more,
and later in the album the chorus anthem of the first single “One
Day Like This” rings out like a big production of a band
ready to take it all by storm.
If you have never discovered Elbow before now, don’t
let that stop you from starting with The Seldom Seen Kid
because it ranks up there as one of their best. It is album that
holds up to repeat listens and easily will fit in between your
favorite bands.
Christopher Anthony
For more of Christopher Anthony's music reviews,
check out The
Fire Note
To see a film clip
for "One Day Like This"
from The Seldom Seen Kid, click the play button below
