Music Review - Ukmusicsearch - Reviews

STATION APPROACH is that perfect summation of what Elbow do best, grimly romantic and stubbornly melancholic - but with a twinkle in its eye and looking towards the stars. Building from a lonely piano riff to its eventual climax of heartfelt majesty and joyous abandon, Guy Garvey managing to wring genuine emotion out of a line like "you little sod I love your eyes". The staccato rhythms and falsetto melodies of PICKY BUGGER, are the reason Elbow are one of those bands that continue to surprise and delight - while the arresting sounds of FORGET MYSELF prove them a band worthy of all their plaudits. A twisted pop song that heads off in myriad directions and avenues, although all leading back to the mother of all choruses.
For all their big pop moments and anthemic choruses, theres an inherent miserabilsim in Elbows music that keeps rearing its head - its a miserabilism thats quietly beautiful though, Guy Garvey sings with a world weary sadness and when on a song like THE STOPS, he's complemented by skeletal arrangements and spidery piano chords - its a melancholic wonder to behold. THE EVERTHERE is another example of this, gentle acoustic guitar lines dance around skittery drum patterns and a dour romanticism takes over like a brief breakthrough of sunshine of a wet and grey winters day.
This is an album that benefits from a little light and shade though, and as title track LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD attests to - Elbow can do soaring pop anthemics along with the best of them. With sweeping guitar solos and propulsive drum beats, you're swept along on a forward thrusting momentum and as the politically charged G8 baiting lyrics bite their way home it's clear that Elbow are capable of much more than dour romantacism when they're fired up. MEXICAN STANDOFF is another charged up affair, samba like beats and blistering guitar noise collide while a baritone piano riff and hand claps adds a certain tex-mex vibe. You're never far from the next slice of introvertion though, and as MY VERY BEST and GREAT EXPECTATIONS continue in that vein - it's clear that Elbow are perhaps at their best when they're at their saddest. Weaving his lovelorn vocals through the majestic drum brushes and gentle piano work, Guy Garvey proves his worth as a natural born romantic. The low key closer, PUNCTURE REPAIR is perhaps a touch anticlimactic after some of the highs earlier on - a criminally short number where Guy Garvey swoons line like "I leaned on you today/I regularly hurt but never say" over a lonesome piano line.
Elbow do battered and bruised romantic miserabilism like no-one else around, its fortunate that they also do it with geniune warmth and humanity, confirming their place as one of the best bands to come out of Manchester in some time. Warm, romantic, majestic and surprising - LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD is an album that urges you to love it.

ORIGINATED>Bury, Manchester, UK - 1994
Formed in Manchester 1994, Elbow met at college and in their own words make "prog rock without the solos". Their debut record, THE NOISEBOX EP on indie label Uglyman and featured future favourite Powder Blue - a song which also featured in John Peel's Festive Fifty the same year, 1998. The two following EPs, also released on Uglyman further raised the bands profile and following, resulting in a signing with V2 records and the release of their debut album ASLEEP IN THE BACK in 2001. A critical success, the record was nominated for that years Mercury Music Prize and saw the band gracing the charts briefly, as well as claiming new fans and converts.
The second album, CAST OF THOUSANDS may not have quite achieved the same level of critical adoration - but nevertheless continued the bands steady rise to stardom. With sublime live shows and a minor hit with GRACE UNDER PRESSURE, Elbow enjoyed their most succesful year to date - with one of the highlights being a rousing Glastonbury performance, joined on stage by a huge gathering of fans and friends for a live recording of GRACE UNDER PRESSURE.
LEADERS OF THE FREE WORLD, released in mid 2005 finds Elbow at both their most commercially succesfully and musically daring. Following the chart success of lead single, FORGET MYSELF the album entered the UK album charts at No. 12.

Mike Bond_UKmusicsearch 2005

   :: Line Up :: Discography :: Merchandise :: Further Listening :: Web Links ::