Elbow – The Seldom Seen Kid (Review)

Well for me, that’s probably done and dusted – my end of year Number One album for 2008 is released this month. The Seldom Seen Kid is about as good a piece of music that you will hear for a while.

I read somewhere that this album was originally going to be called Ustinov (for Peter Ustinov), which would have been fitting as he was a super story teller as well – they recreate some of that on this fantastic album.

This is the 4th album from Manchester based Elbow, with singer Guy Garvey leading the line with usual Northern bonhomie. Listen to his BBC sixmusic show for an idea of his sense of humor, it shines through on the opening track:

How dare the premier, ignore my invitations. He’ll have to go.

And from there it just gets better and better, no fillers on the album – all beautifully written with wonderful, loving lyrics with dark moments scattered amongst them. It’s fantastically played, just the right amount of invention and well produced by keyboard player Craig Potter.

Click ‘more’ for a full track by track recap – but honestly, just buy this – you’ll bloody love it!

Track by Track – The Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow

Starlings – opening with quiet noise punctuated by huge stabs of orchestral brass and strings overlaying some really mellow synth cycles.  This is a great way to open the album, comparing love to a flight of starlings by using some swooping vocal effects at the climax of the song.

You are the only thing, in any room you’re ever in,
I’m stubborn, selfish and too old…

The Bones of You – guitars, interesting drum patterns open the track with a great opening line:

So I’m there, charging around with a juggernaut brow,
Overdraft speeches and deadlines to make,
Cramming commitments like cats in a sack…

Followed by fuzzed up guitars and a great vocal performance from Guy Garvey

I love the bones of you, and that I will never restrain

Mirrorball – this was previewed on the Seldom Seen Kid website, sounding a little inspired by Teardrop. Gentle pianos overlaid by strings and a cool vocal loop with stays there right till the end of the tune

Grounds for Divorce – the first single, an absolute monster of a tune – shuffling along with an almost bluegrass rhythm track and the heavily distorted guitar bringing the chorus to life with the singalong wooooaahhhhhh! The track seems to fly by, way too short for me…

There’s a hole in my neighbourhood,
down which of late, I cannot help but fall.

An Audience with the Pope – I love the lyrics of this tune, a straight love song which talks about how everything will be dropped if ’she says so’. It starts with a lovely piano line and another really interesting percussion line.

I have an audience with the pope,
and I’m saving the world at eight,
but if she says she needs me, she says she needs me,
everybodys going to have to wait.

Weather to Fly – a really gentle tune, guitars and soft percussion along with what sounds like distant brass. Reminiscing on past days this evokes some nice memories of childhood. 

Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver – A highlight of their recent live show, swathed in reverb and with another great vocal performance where Guy Garvey really lets loose before the most sublime key change at the climax of the tune. Slightly dark lyrical content is opposed to some lighter guitar melodies and a beautiful synth wash between the verses.

Come on, tower crane driver,
Oh so, far to fall,
Send up a prayer in my name.

The Fix – The slightly surprising one on the album – opens with some very cool drum and organ sounds, and then a familiar voice that doesn’t belong to Elbow. The duet is between Richard Hawley and Guy Garvey- and tells the story of two cads, putting together a gambling scam. Wonderful Cole Porter-esque lyrics.

The redoutable beast has had pegasus pills,
we’ll buy him a patch in the Tuscany Hills,
the vino di vici will flow like a river, in spring,
Now the fix, the fix is in.

The whole thing is topped off by an awesome sounding guitar – which could well have been played by Hawley – it has the 50’s back room blues sound he does so well.

Some Riot – I’ve seen some people refer to this as ‘The Brambles Song’ from the opening lines:

A friend of mine, grows his very own brambles
The twist all around him, until he can’t move,
Beautiful, quivering, shiverous, shambles,
What is my friend trying to prove.

This is the darkest song on the album for me – distant piano coupled with some heavily effected guitars.  Its a beautiful piece of music.

On day like this – Another of the big tunes from their recent gig in London – this is the one that Guy Garvey tried to get us all singing along to – and it does have a huge stadium like chorus that will be a big crowd pleaser at Glastonbury. Opening with strings and drums, it chugs along as you expect a big stadium anthem to do, but still Elbow manage to make this their own with the most amazing lyrics and another opportunity to really let loose with the singing.

‘Cos Holy cow, I love your eyes,
And only now I see the light
Yeah, lying with you half awake, stumbling over what to say.
Oh anyway, its looking like a beautiful day.

That will do for me – amazing uplifting lyrics.

Friend of Ours – perfect closing track, quiet guitar lines and a soft, almost whispered vocal line coupled with gentle string sounds.