The Seldom Seen Kid

ho hum

While their sound and style isn't really my usual preference, there's something about this album that I enjoyed a lot more than I thought I would. Guy Garvey's voice isn't great, I'll admit, and at times I was reminded of XTC's sound (and at other times of Queens of the Stone Age), but the group as a whole seems both tight and well-rounded. Highlights for me were probably their big singles "The bones of you", "Grounds for divorce" and "One day like this" (although a bit jarring to have the latter video show a sign-twirler in LA advertising condos for sale on the cusp of the Great Recession...), as well as "An audience with the pope" and "The fix", but I also liked it that there weren't really any weak spots throughout. I can see/hear why they got great press for this album, and I'm glad they won the Mercury Prize for "The Seldom Seen Kid" (although I know so little about the Prize that this honor means very little to me). And I love the idea of a cocktail named "Grounds for divorce"....

The thing about Elbow is that they're a sipping band - i love a song by them, a couple is okay, but a whole album just draaaaaags. Guy, maybe just release the singles? The points here are almost entirely for two tracks, so thank god they spread them out in the album to keep me going! Faves: One Day Like This, Grounds For Divorce

Dark, Brooding, and a little heavy. I think we can tell this kid has been by himself a lot, but I liked the album

I prefer Knee.

Not bad, just not very memorable. My favorite song from Elbow (and the only I knew prior to today) is "Leaders Of The Free World" but sadly that's on another album :/ Favorite track: Grounds for Divorce

We all know 'One Day Like This' as a quasi-UK anthem. The rest of it is pleasant enough, but judt dosen't hit a higher gear.

Another collection of sad songs from Elbow.

Awful name for a band but decent music

Surprisingly boring. Just nothing interesting or exciting or even beautiful happening here. I didn't hate it and it wasn't offensive, it was competently performed, so I don't want to give it a 1, but man there was just nothing to like.

Elbow podrían ser comparados con Low y The national, ahí es nada. Este es el 4 de 11 discos que llevan ya, todos ellos de enorme calidad. De su debut entre Coldaply y Radiohead a este álbum hay mucha madurez. De este The seldom seem kid (título que hace referencia al apodo que su padre puso a Guy Garvey, a quien también dedica la última canción del disco), destacan la potente Grounds For Divorce y el precioso feinal de Friends of ours. También One Day Like This usada en numerosos anuncios y eventos. The Fix, con la ayuda de Richard Hawley. The Bones of You con fragmentos de Summetime y un aroma a los mejores Radiohead. Mirrorball es un buen colchón donde relajarse. The lonelines of a tower también, intensa como ellos saben hacer. Weather to fly ya la quisieran haber firmado Coldplay, aunque tal vez sea más propia la comparación con Peter Gabriel. Some riot encara el final de un modo soberbio.

I have fond memories of this from the time, before One Day Like This became a ubiquity at weddings. It is a nice album and Starlings is lovely in both its sentiment and use of dynamics. The main issue is that it is very safe and a bit beige.

I like what I’ve seen and heard of Guy Garvey, seems to be a down to earth bloke who is in it for the love of music. Elbow is not a great manifestation of it though I fear. Bland and uninspiring for the most part (I think I’ve only enjoyed one Elbow song, ‘newborn’, which isn’t even on this album) and panders to a mass singalong crowd à la Glastonbury rather than to listen to at home. ‘One day like this’ really suffers from being overplayed and irks me when I hear it now, likely due to the association with some shitty reality tv show where they are trying to tug on the heartstrings by showing the culmination of someone’s ‘journey’ and choose to use this bloody song as a vehicle for it. ‘The bones of you’ and ‘grounds for divorce’ at least have a bit of fuzzy growl to them and injects a bit of life. I’d opt for a 2 here as I’m really not a fan but that would likely do a disservice to some of the other 2’s I’ve given out which are much worse so a generous 3 it is.

2.5 - ok

I toiled between a 3 and a 4 on this flawed rating system and landed on a 4. This is better than an average album but will not change your life. There are many very good songs though

Great sound, compelling voice, slow burn if not any memorable songs...and too long. 3.5

Great find. Will check out more of their discs.

I mean, sure...if I'm in the mood for music that sounds like Coldplay without actually listening to Coldplay.

Nice but not memorable.

Saturday, 17 October, 2026 Great record form a new discovery for me!

Back in the late 2000s, there was a wave of indie and alternative rock bands crossing over into baroque pop and orchestral pop, and for the most part, I never really got into that sound. I enjoy chamber pop when it has a deeper, heavier atmosphere and leans more toward a singer songwriter format, but I never really connected with that wave of orchestral indie rock, and that's exactly what this album represents to me. It's not that the album is particularly bad or horrible. It just doesn't connect with me on any emotional level. It's literally just there.

I hear some similarities to Sting, Peter Gabriel, and others of that Progish Rockish ilk. More mellow than I expected. I was hoping for some more Rock and less psych prog. "Grounds for Divorce" is decidedly more Tom Waits-esque. Good, but not something I'll return to often.

3.5. Very good, artsy, rock. Great instrumentation, thoughtful lyrics, and lovely arrangements.

Good

Have I ever listened to Elbow before? It's terribly dull, with a vocalist I don't care for.

Just so blah. I didn't hate it and I didn't like it. Radio 2 on a slightly miserable Sunday afternoon.

Oh what would I done with my life if I hadn’t heard this generic folk faux rock album….

Didn't grab me, though I did listen through crappy speakers. It felt as if they were playing with volume throughout and not to good effect.

En 2008, Elbow n’était clairement plus la dernière sensation à la mode et le groupe de Bury traînait dans une sorte de purgatoire doré : un statut de formation culte, adorée des puristes pour son élégance cabossée, mais perpétuellement condamnée à jouer les seconds rôles face aux bulldozers radiophoniques de l’époque, coincée quelque part entre les complaintes lacrymales de Coldplay et les ambitions froides de Radiohead. Trois albums impeccables mais commercialement timides avaient fini par installer un doute pernicieux : Elbow allait-il rester pour toujours le secret le mieux gardé de Manchester, ce groupe magnifique qu’on applaudit poliment dans des salles à moitié pleines avant de rentrer chez soi en écoutant autre chose ? La réponse est tombée avec la déflagration sourde et majestueuse de The Seldom Seen Kid, un quatrième album qui a balayé d’un revers de manche toutes les étiquettes réductrices pour s’imposer comme un monument instantané. C’est le disque de la bascule totale, celui où un groupe cesse de douter de sa propre légitimité pour embrasser une grandeur orchestrale qui aurait pu virer au grandiloquent grotesque chez n’importe qui d’autre, mais qui trouve ici une grâce terrassante. Et pour en arriver là, Elbow a simplement choisi de s’enfermer aux studios Blueprint de Salford pour fabriquer une cathédrale d’art-rock et de pop symphonique. Ce qu'on remarque dès l’ouverture, c’est le travail de titan abattu par Craig Potter qui refuse obstinément de lisser les aspérités d’un groupe qui sonne d’abord et avant tout comme des êtres humains jouant ensemble dans une pièce. Là où la production moderne a trop souvent tendance à étouffer le son sous des couches de compression numérique sans âme, l’espace sonore respire ici de manière organique, laissant cohabiter une section rythmique presque industrielle, avec des envolées de cordes d’un lyrisme foudroyant enregistrées aux mythiques studios Abbey Road avec le BBC Concert Orchestra. Le coup de maître d’Elbow réside dans cette tension permanente entre le grondement des machines et la fragilité du souffle humain, entre le caniveau mancunien et le firmament. Au centre de cet édifice sonore imposant trône Guy Garvey, un chanteur et parolier dont la voix de baryton refuse obstinément de jouer les divas détachées ou les cyniques blasés. Garvey est un poète, un observateur capable de transcender la mélancolie d’un après-midi pluvieux dans le nord de l’Angleterre avec une plume d’une acuité dévastatrice. Le cœur de The Seldom Seen Kid bat d’ailleurs au rythme d’une béance, d’un hommage fantomatique à Bryan Glancy, cet ami musicien manchesterien tragiquement disparu trop tôt, figure de l’ombre à laquelle l’album emprunte son titre sublime. La perte, le deuil et l’absence ne sont pourtant jamais traités ici avec cette complaisance larmoyante qui pollue tant de disques de rock indépendant. Garvey transforme la tragédie en une célébration viscérale de la vie, de l’amour qui survit aux naufrages et des liens indestructibles qui unissent ceux qui restent pour trinquer aux disparus. C’est un humanisme sans fard, sans cynisme à la petite semaine car il ne triche jamais avec la douleur. Musicalement, l’album est un modèle d’équilibre architectural qui refuse la complaisance du format pop étriqué tout en évitant le piège de la démonstration progressive stérile. Le groupe sait bâtir des dynamiques à couper le souffle, faisant monter la pression avec une patience diabolique avant de libérer des crescendos d’une puissance qui clouent littéralement sur place. On passe sans heurt d’un rock tendu, hargneux et grinçant, saturé de basses menaçantes et de pulsations percussives presque rituelles, à des enluminures pastorales d’une délicatesse inouïe où les harmonies vocales s’entrelacent avec une fluidité miraculeuse. Elbow prouve qu’il n’a pas besoin de hurler pour impressionner : une note suspendue, un frottement de cordes d’une gravité funèbre ou un refrain solaire suffisent à faire basculer l’écoute du côté du vertige pur. La force absolue de ce disque tient aussi à sa capacité à conjuguer cette noirceur introspective avec une liesse populaire authentique, dénuée de toute vulgarité démagogique. C’est ici que réside le véritable tour de force : réussir à concevoir des hymnes d’une ampleur phénoménale, capables de faire chanter des stades entiers d’une seule voix tout en préservant l’intimité sacrée d’une confession murmurée au creux de l’oreille. Cette générosité débordante, ce refus de l’élitisme prétentieux propre à une certaine intelligentsia rock, a d’ailleurs trouvé sa consécration la plus éclatante lorsque l’album est venu coiffer au poteau des prétendants bien plus branchés pour décrocher le prestigieux Mercury Prize cette même année. Une revanche éclatante pour une bande de quadragénaires qui avait refusé de courber l’échine devant les diktats de la branchitude éphémère. The Seldom Seen Kid n’est pas seulement le sommet créatif d’Elbow, c’est une œuvre rare et précieuse qui nous réconcilie instantanément avec la musique rock dans ce qu’elle a de plus noble, de plus chaleureux et de plus exigeant. Un disque d’une cohérence monumentale qui ne vieillit pas et qui continue de résonner avec la même puissance des années après sa sortie.

2/5 dnf

Pretty enjoyable listen 😀 flat 4

I feel slightly hypocritical giving oasis a 3 star yesterday and saying it’s mediocre then giving this 4. But not enough to change my mind.

Really enjoyed the first 4 songs. Sounded kind of like they were going for a Radiohead thing at times. Everything else after that was a bore except One Day Like This which is an anthem for a reason. Mixed bag. Overall 3 seems fair.

Elbow sind für mich wie The National und Konsorten: Midtempo-Befindlichkeits-Indie, der die große Geste nicht scheut, mich aber oftmals ratlos zurücklässt, nur um dann überrascht zu sein, wenn man wie aus dem Nichts auf einmal doch eine Melodie oder ein Riff catcht. Das ist auf dieser Platte gar nicht mal sooo selten passiert. "One Day Like This" oder "Weather to Fly" fand ich z. B. beide sehr schön. Außer Konkurrenz steht "Grounds for Divorce" der stilistisch mit seinem Blues-Riff ziemlich heraussticht und der bei mir eh einen Stein im Herzen hat, weil ich ihn sehr oft bei Guitar Hero gezockt habe. Aber dann gibt es zwischendurch auch wieder einige Songs, bei denen ich mich frage, wieso man sich so ein langweiliges Gedudel freiwillig geben kann. Also alles genau wie bei The National.

Das war irgendwie satisfying. Ich fands cool, war aber auch zu abgelenkt um hier konstruktiv Feedback zu geben.

Ich habe 2 mal nachgeschaut ob es nicht ein verstecktes Album von Sting ist. Scheint nicht so zu sein. Interessant ist es auf jeden Fall, aber nichts was ich nochmal hören muss oder werde.

Really enjoyed this one. Reminded me of counting crows and Robert Wyatt. Kind of psychedelic and dreamy. Sweet, pained vocals. Will listen again I expect

This was a very well made album. But I just found it boring.

10/6/26. Great find today! A lot of Radiohead and TV on the Radio influences throughout while making it their own. A bit of a hidden gem that I'll revisit again and again.

3,5

I’ve heard this album cited as a masterpiece and I’ve listened to it prior to this, and while there are interesting pieces I’m not sure it’s close to landing for me. It sounds like something I’d have been into at the time of it’s release, but I don’t wasn’t aware of it until years later and I don’t have a nostalgia factor to boost it.

The two big songs on this are big big songs. Mirrorball was a nice find too, but the rest felt long and forgettable

3,7 Highlights: The Bones of You, Grounds for Divorce

It’s a nice kinda gloomy space kinda deal, very chill with a definite sadness throughout.Unfortunately for this album, Sofia went back to Uni today and so a gloomy space vibe threatens to give way to bad vibes, which I’m not tryna deal with so I probably didn’t give this album the time it needed.

Not a bad album by any means. I enjoyed listening to it, however it’s not my typical cup of tea and a few of the songs tiptoe the line of being boring. The bones of you, grounds for divorce and one day like this my favorites.

I agree with the people in the reviews calling this a combination of Radiohead and Coldplay (maybe with some Nick Cave in there too), I just apparently like that more than anything hey do. It was fine, though definitely very front-heavy.

I loved this when it came out , but I don’t own it on vinyl and with this listen I won’t be picking it up Great in places , and Guy’s voice is soothing . But I can not remember half this album and I’m still listening to it

Like a less bland, and more Northern, Coldplay.

This B.S. has no genre and just serves to piss me off. 1/10

73

what is this crap

Reminded me a lot of an artist that I like, The The. I didn't know about Elbow before today so it's a great discovery even though I still have to get my head wrapped around all their musical universe

One of my favourite albums of all time - Starlings is a sublime opener

This was pretty good. I like his voice a lot. 3.5 stars rounding down

I'm a fan of the alt blues rock sound. The A-side was stronger for me than the B-side, where the song lengths really made themselves felt. Standout Tracks: Grounds for Divorce, One Day Like This Rating: 3

Just okay. Very middle of the road. The only thing that stood out to me was that a couple of songs, namely An Audience with the Pope and The Fix, that sounded like they were straight out of a Queens of the Stone Age album.

This band was not familiar to me - I didn’t mind this album at all. I think it deserves a few more spins.

Twice thru this one, enjoyed it…need to check out some other stuff by Elbow. First time I ve heard of them.

IDK, this band feels like if the Dave Mathews Band stopped doing drugs and became soulless and boring. The bones are still there, but there's very little meat left to chew. Of that meat, I did like their more gritty tunes like "Grounds for Divorce", "Audience with the Pope". There were two bonus tracks on the version of the album I found that were not listed as tracks in the wiki, Hotel Instanbul, which I actually thought was really good. and lullaby, which was not. But I'm rating this without those bonus tracks. Think I'll toss Grounds for Divorce on the playlist, but I'm not entirely sold on it.

Reminds me a bit of something like Coldplay or Radiohead, but somehow even less interesting. It's irritatingly anodyne.

Holy shit, I was not expecting something good after so long in mediocrity and boring. This is great. Big sound, entertaining lyrics, interesting stuff going on all around.

Another album that surprised me by feeling familiar even though I’m sure I haven’t heard it before. Other people have compared it to Coldplay, but I enjoyed it a lot more than that, both lyrically and musically. Another plus point was a track featuring Richard Hawley, another under-appreciated artist who I have only recently started listening to. It was only when I got to almost the end of the album and the track ‘One day Like This’ that I finally remembered hearing it as part of the 2012 Olympics closing ceremony and what a wonderful moment of hope and optimism that was. I hope we can recapture that feeling again in my lifetime.

Very sweet album. Nostalgic for any 00's kid, lovely lyrics, lyrical instrumentation, some all time classic bangers as well. Maybe 2 or 3 songs are just sort of ok. But this defo was a deserved Mercury Prize win.

This album grows on you.

Well . . . WOW!! Last night, I was talking with my daughters about the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die list, and as often happens, the conversation trended toward who was on the list too often and albums we heard that were just plain painful to listen to. And with 1001 (actually 1089, since the generator includes albums added to subsequent editions), there is certainly plenty of room to include inexplicable or even terrible albums. But what we sometimes forget is that it also leaves rooms to include inexplicably GREAT albums that I might have overlooked in my life because I was too old or too busy or living on the wrong continent. THIS is the kind of album I started this listening project to find! The first six songs here ("Starlings," "The Bones of You," "Mirrorball," "Grounds for Divorce," "An Audience with the Pope," and "Weather to Fly") are as strong an album opening as I usually only find on my own personal list of greatest albums of all time. If things drop off (slightly!) from there, well, that might just be me getting greedy. This is just terrific. Listen to it right now! Then listen to it again, like I'm about to do!!

A boring type of interesting.

- reminds me of Peter Gabriel - good for working, chill music that isn't distracting - would recommend to Natalie

What a fantastic reminder of an album I was obsessed with a long time ago!

VERY cinematic sound and pretty diverse sounds.

I don't mind this album. Its got some good songs on it, but some can be a bit draggy. Ideally I'd give it 3.5 out of 4.

Never been a fan. Just can't get into em.

Downloaded this from a beat of list, don’t know which one. I’ve heard a few songs but never listened to the whole album before. How would this sound with an orchestra rather than a synthesizer? I like the horn blast effect of the first song. “The Bones of You” is a shift, except the vocalist.

Rode the line between woah this is pretty cool and oh my god this is corny as hell and unfortunately landed a bit more on the gimmicky end of things. Some great ideas though

Likte noen av låtene godt, men det ble ellers på det jevne.

Hørte masse på denne da den kom ut. Innser nå at jeg må ha vært deprimert i den perioden. Ganske fin, men også kjedelig.

Det er noe ved denne typen rock som gjør at jeg kjeder meg halvt i hjel.

Used to listen to this album a lot like 10 years back, so yeah I like it. Not sure why it's on the list.

This is good...but, at least for me, not very good. They somehow manage to include some interesting arrangements in every song. However, for some reason, I'm not really connecting with the album. Songs I like "The Bones of You", "Mirrorball", "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" (great title btw), "Some Riot", or " Friend of Ours" (probably my favourite). It's in the 3 star range. The songs are ok, and the lyrics seems pretty interesting, but nothing really exciting for me.

Not bad but there are not enough action in it for me.

A fresh listen, one that I quite enjoyed. It's an entire listening experience, as each song mashes various genres and instrumentations together with powerful vocals. It's also hard to pick a favorite, because they all could be depending on your mood and listening intent. Favorite Song: The Bones of You Score: 84

This was pretty good, a bit different. Kind of melancholy, but some great songwriting and storytelling.

Nice background music. Some more than that tbf

I really enjoyed this. It reminded me of a cross between the Gorillaz and Massive Attack but fronted by Peter Gabriel

I enjoyed where this started, but at some point I got lost. Throughout my listening, I was reminded of Arcade Fire because of the grandiose song compositions. Some songs felt a little slow and unmemorable. Most of the album had cool moments, but nothing to really stick with me, I wouldn't reach for this album again, even as an indie-rock lover. :( Favorite Tracks: The Bones of You One Day Like This

It's Looking Like A Beautiful Day 1001 Albums Generator 346 (9/9/2026) A pretty creative piece of indie art rock, with some obvious influences from Radiohead and Arcade Fire, but unfortunately it's not as memorable as the best albums from either of those bands. 3/5. Favs: The Bones Of You Mirrorball One Day Like This Least Fav: The Fix

This just was another very average boring album, felt like a mix of gorilaz and Radiohead, but if I want that imma just listen to them

Loved the first track (which I later learned Joe plays on the regular), but the rest of the album was only so so.

Another pleasant surprise — this had a very nice vibe throughout. Thought it was Sting singing at times. A solid 4, would listen to it again.

Starlings has long been a favorite song, but I was less familiar with the album.

Haven't heard of this band. I liked this a lot, will definitely listen again.

So frkn surprised by this album. I like almost every song eventhough I normally don’t feel strong british accents. Beautiful lyrics and cinematic grand or perfectly small arrangements.

The Seldom Seen Kid is now in the category of seldom listened to kid. Not very alluring to me. Though it seems well made.

I should like this. I find the actually music engaging enough. It's not boring. But something just didn't quite hit. I think I'm going to have to revisist this one a few times to get a better take. One Day Like This

Eh… is it me, or is there an an ordinate amount of soundscape-y Brit Pop on this list? Maybe if I listen to it some more, I’ll appreciate what makes it different from Coldplay, Doves, whatever, but… I’ll just call it three stars and move on with my life.

Lovely whispering heartfelt vocals. Even the loud songs are soft on the ears. Grounds for divorce and the fix are immense. Crowned off by a day like this which is a career peak. This band not Coldplay are the British band of this century so far

Another example of why this is such a great project. This is amazing and I had never heard of this band ever. pure gold

Not was I was expecting, in a good way. Kind of like Sting and Bastille smoshed together. I wasn't mad at it.

meh. it's really nothing...in one ear and out the other

A very nice surprise. I was expecting some middle-of-the-road indie act, but I was wrong. It's actually a very creative album with a genuine personality. It manages to be soft and sweet and sad without ever becoming whiny or boring. The singer's voice has depth, and the emotional moments never feel forced or affected. The whole record creates a truly unique mood that transcends its numerous influences and makes it better than the sum of its parts. The tracklist is also pleasantly diverse, with sad songs, upbeat songs, and a couple of blues or rock-oriented songs like "Grounds For Divorce" that add a more dynamic vibe to the album. It's not completely my cup of tea, some songs are less interesting than others, and it did feel a bit long towards the end ; but it's a commendable effort overall. I will absolutely try to give it another spin. 6/10

Surprisingly appealing to my ears, even though the obvious proximity to Radiohead should normally annoy me. But the singer’s voice is far enough removed from Thom Yorke’s, with a tone I really like, and the band’s universe feels much less claustrophobic. I also like their prog approach. Some of the songs are really well written and it was a rich and genuinely interesting experience that I’ll definitely revisit, with maybe a 4 star rating waiting at the end.