The Seldom Seen Kid

Matched playing and a great music from Elbow

Manchester based band Elbow has been conquering the world stage since 1990s receiving always high critical acclaim and enjoying the support of a huge fan base. The collective creative work of front man Guy Garvey, guitarist Mark Potter, keyboardist playing also organ Craig Potter, bassist Pete Turner and drummer Richard Jupp have always attracted the audience for their matched playing, interesting metaphorical lyrics and music that can be compared to the works of such stars as U2, Blur and R.E.M. Nevertheless the band’s commercial success still is not as great as the popularity and the critics' opinion. Elbow's new album The Seldom Seen Kid, however, is surely going change the situation to the better. On the one hand this record is somewhat heavier and darker than its predecessors like for example Leaders Of The Free World of 2005. On the other hand, it is still Elbow renowned for their amazing instrumentation and Garvey's recognizable vocals that never fail to touch the listeners' heart strings.

Dark and joyful moments on The Seldom Seen Kid

There are no filler tracks on The Seldom Seen Kid for all the songs are beautifully played melodies and the lyrics that can serve an example of a bright imagery and the brilliant usage of stylistic devices like metaphors and comparisons. At the same time the dark moments interlace with more joyful ones, and irony makes a bridge between them. The album opener Starlings immediately amazes with orchestra background with brass and strings prevailing, while on a witty track The Bones of You drums and guitars create a beautiful accompaniment. Single Grounds For Divorce and one of the record's absolute hits is sure to become one of you favorite songs this year due to Garvey's most contagious performance, whereas An Audience With The Pope is the strangest and frankest love confession you have ever heard before. Nostalgic composition Weather To Fly will make the listeners go deep into the memories of their childhood, and song The Fix has a mood a little bit different from the rest of the album expressed by impressive drums and organ and is remarkable for the vocals performed in a duet with Richard Hawley. A breathtaking chorus One Day Like This will sound especially great on a live performance and the closer Friend Of Ours is the softest composition on the record with quiet vocals and guitars and another beautiful complicated melody.

Perfection practically in all the aspects

Having already earned a reputation of a brilliant band, both original and meeting the audience's interests, Elbow seems to have lost the interest to create music that would outshine all the previous material released so far, but it only seems. The Kid Seldom Seen turns out to be an album that we have all been waiting for. The Britpop and rock mixed together to produce an unforgettable impression, especially on those who are not yet acquainted with the collective's previous works. The new moods in Elbow's music have proved to be that very missing element that makes both the instruments and the voices of the soloist and back-vocalists sound in a new way. Whether the commercial success is now expecting it or not is a question of the secondary importance now for the primary is one of the year's best albums that have reached perfection practically in all the aspects. One can say for sure that there is a second breath open for Elbow, and if this inspiration does not leave it too soon we can relax and just know that now there is a team that will provide us with really good music when we need it.