Elbow

You'll no doubt have heard about the band Elbow. Their latest album, released last year, experienced tremendous commerical success and won a whole clutch of musical awards. It's beautiful and lovely and very deserving but I'm not interested in that album.

I want to talk to you about their very first album, 'Asleep In The Back'. First things first, yes you'll hear elements of Radiohead influences slinking throughout the album. I'm not interested in that either - it's a given during the 90s and early noughties that you find many bands influenced by such kings of music. Don't let that blind you (if you're that way inclined) this is a truly brilliant album in it's own right.
It took Elbow 4 albums over a period of 7 years to break on to the commerical scene and I can't understand why this album is so overlooked. Well, I lie, I can.
'Commerical' I balk at this word more and more frequently, if only because to be successful a band has to be deemed commericial. On the flip side, I also become agitated when people label bands or artists as rubbish simply because they are commerical. I am a confused character, I'll admit that readily. Either way, in Elbow's case it annoys me because they weren't commerical and weren't successful. The title track is infinitely beautiful and so skillfully woven between other album tracks you'll become lost in a mirage of bliss. 'Newborn' follows a similar vein, but listen to the lyrics, they're painful but the melody is crafted in such a way that you may never notice.

I feel myself turning into one of those 'contemporary' reviewers desperately trying to convert the unconverted, so I shall stop. Needless to say, I want you to go out and listen to the album straightaway. If you listen to one song and one song only, ' Asleep in the Back' is the one to grace your ears with.

...and maybe 'Newborn'.
And you should probably give 'Powder Blue' a few moments of your time.
'Bitten By the Tailfly', too...

'Red'?

SouthernHeart ~

Listening to: Elbow - Newborn