The Seldom Seen Kid

One of my all-time faves. Every time I listen I'm reminded of my first Glastonbury festival when the Guardian was giving out bags with 'Throw those curtains wide/One day like this a year would see me right' on the side. Elbow were playing the Pyramid stage after Paolo Nutini, who was sloppy drunk and pretty terrible, but I met a nice girl who gave me one of those little packs of raisins. So anyway, I left partway through Nutini's set because I didn't know who Elbow were back then and I wanted to go and see Noah and the Whale or some shit. So now every time I listen to this masterpiece I get to remember how much of a moron I used to be. 10/10.

Like wanking in a wheelbarrow. Uncomfortable and perverse.

Like if Radiohead and Coldplay had a failson.

Holy shit this hit me like a tonne of bricks. What a beautiful record. It's what post X&Y Coldplay could've been but never were. Emotive, evocative, poetic observations of the examined life. "Straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day." " We kissed like we invited it" "Yes I'm asking you to invest in a horse that's only good for glue." Never tepid, every song has an edge layered somewhere within it that captivates eg the Alt J style dirty baseline in The Bones of You or the straight up foals style shred monster that is Grounds for Divorce - it's fucking orchestral. THIS is a contemporary record that deserves to be here.

Not heard this before. Largely comes off as Radiohead-lite to me with flashes of Blur here and there. Got to respect the ambition though. Love it when the British don't hold back their accents while singing. Perhaps my favorite track is "The loneliness of a Tower crane driver."

This is a beautiful record. Epic but fragile, romantic but truthful, outward looking but visceral. I wouldn't be surprised if this is found to have healing qualities. An hour listening and I feel soothed. And moved. Catharsis in sound. 5/5

Not much to say about this one. I listened to the album on Friday and now it's Monday and I can barely even remember what it sounded like.

Best new find yet. I listened to it three times already and I’m liking it more each time. Peter Gabrielish voice, clever lyrics, good stuff.

Fantastic album, I was very hesitant at first after turning up my volume during the first song to hear it better only to have my ears blasted by those trumpets but The Bones of You was such a great song that I forgave the first song. After that, the songs really just keep getting better and it's like each song feels like a different genre, and I was surprised that I liked most of the songs that had that country vibe to them. Definitely gonna add this to the rotation.

Elbow have an interesting sound, not quite what I was expecting. I know I've heard the odd track here or there, but I don't really remember them at all. The instrumentation is pretty cool and the layered vocals add another element. Grounds for Divorce is my favourite track so far.

Meh

Absolutely gripped me, like a schoolyard bully picking a nerd up by the collar to shake him down for lunch money. This would be an easy 5 stars, but there is juuuuussstttt a bit too much bloat for me to be quite so generous.

I was puzzled at first by this selection (pun intended), but then I read that it's a British band. Never heard of these blokes, but they're okay I guess. Nothing less than decent, but not many tracks that jump above decent either. The distorted guitar sound near the end of "Audience with the Pope" stood out to me. And "Lullaby" was nice, almost sounded like a different band. Overall this comes off like a generic amalgam of countless other indie/alternative bands. Music for commercials, or as the Brits would say, adverts. I wish I had a stronger opinion on this, but it was kind of in one ear and out the other. Extremely okay music. Favorite tracks: Lullaby, One Day Like This, Bones of You. Album art: As much as I love Rubik's cubes, this cover doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's too monochromatic. Maybe the drawing is just sloppy. Maybe it's Maybelline. Sorry, bad joke. I'm pretty bored listening to this. 3/5

Britain, what the fuck. Do you guys just eat up anything that comes along and sounds like Radiohead? Have some self-respect. Oh, and…users of this site? You’re not off the hook on this one, either…this record has *the same* rating as Daydream Nation by Sonic Youth, one of the most influential records of the last 40 years; both currently sit at 3.29. It has higher ratings than The Stooges’ debut album and Funhouse (3.28 and 3.27, respectively) and Sly and the Family Stone’s “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (3.27)….You’re off your rockers.

You know that saying 'you don't know your arse from your elbow'? Well, it's pretty apt here, because this is shit.

The attention to detail on this album is incredible. From the quirky intro of Starlings to the outro of The Bones of You. Add in the beautiful lyrics. Put that all to one side. Guy Garvey has a unique and wonderful voice. This album is perfect and rightfully won the Mercury award when it came out.

Delicately balancing between a Pixar movie and a coked out Tim Burton film, this album resonates with that late 2008 art rock baroque folk scene. It’s beautiful yet eerie in parts- vague yet also grounded both in lyrically and instrumentally. All the songs are different enough to leave different impressions but similar enough to be considered as part of the same statement. Mirrorball and Audience With the Pope are the standouts to me- along with the fix. A great album

I had no clue who these guys were and had absolutely zero idea of what to expect, but damn, this was really great. Hearing lots of Dave Matthews Band, Coldplay, and Radiohead influences, but with a lot more dramatic and expansive soundscape. I saw them described as a “cinematic” pop group and I think that’s a great adjective as every song feels like a story bursting open. Each song has a unique timbre and mix of instrumentation/effects while the album still sounds pretty cohesive. Cant really say it’s like nothing I’ve ever heard before but it’s definitely really well done.

Experimental enough to not be dull and familiar enough to not be annoying Did not expect it to be this good! A modern white band I like. How strange.

This was very good do you get to be a little much. I have no idea who the elbow is as I ever heard of them but I think they’re sounds a little ahead of their time. 2007 is a dark time for music, you could not pull out of the air anything you wanted, MTV had long stopped playing music, YouTube did not have music videos you can go find, and mp3 sharing services had been shut down. That’s why I think elbow remained all these years. This is a very gloomy sound but not entirely sleepy which is very soothing to me. I need to wallow in my exhaustion and sadness but still have enough rhythm to scoot me forward, accepting the reality that is the cold dark morning that starts every day.

high 3 / low 4

It took me a few songs to warm to this album. It has a lovely warm sounds and has a great voice but none of these songs are memorable.

This band's level of popularity is baffling to me. The guy (yeah, I know) is a good lyricist, with a lovely mellow singing voice. But the overall effect to me is somehow less than the sum of its parts. Lounge music, but a wee bit more introspective and ultimately a bit of a downer.

Boring album. Aggressively fine.

really cool vibes already, raspy main vocals and kind of ethereal indie rock feel. I LOVE THIS ALBUM BASED ON THE FIRST SONG. cool orchestral feeling. oooooo I love it!!! i don't think it objectively deserves more than a 3 so i'll give it that but i love her :,)

Never heard of this. Wasn't missing much. It's mediocre "rock" music with a Northern accent. The breathy vocals become grating and creepy a few tracks in. There is a sparse smattering of interesting moments in here that aren't ruined by the vocals. I will happily skip over the bonus tracks at the end of this. Yet another album whose presence on this list confuses me.

I’m a little more than a quarter of the way through this list and this is by far the most generic, dull and bland music I’ve heard. There have been albums I’ve disliked but are important to their genre, or represent an era and just haven’t aged well, or were cultural phenomena, or by iconic artists - this is none of that. This music is so lacking in anything its boringness is overwhelming.

This sucks it's boring

I’ve never in my life heard of the band Elbow. But maybe I should have, because this album was really really cool!! Usually the meaning of cleverly written song lyrics eludes me, no exception here 😅 but I really loved the words to these songs, even if I didn’t completely grasp the full meaning at times. I enjoyed how some of the phrases and lines were crafted. To me the lyrics were thoughtful and really sweet. And musically it was beautiful and creative. I’ve already listened to it twice and some of the songs I’ve listened to many times. It has kind of a Peter Gabriel vibe, but not as weird. My favorites were Mirrorball, An Audience With the Pope, and One Day Like This. Grounds For Divorce sounds so incredibly British 😂 I love that one toot.

I thought before listening that only the singles were great and the rest was whatever. These guys never took off in North America, I think Grounds For Divorce doesn’t sound too different from Black Keys. This whole thing though is great. I have no option but to give them their flowers.

Super glad to find an awesome album on #1000 :-) Favorite new one in a long time.

Shockingly good. Never heard of them before.

one of the best surprises in the list

I was already a big fan of this album. I know some listeners get tired of all the UK band bias on the list, but this one is worth it. To me Elbow is what Radiohead would be if they didn't get weird and what Coldplay would be if they were actually good (yeah, I said it). And this is my favorite Elbow album, so good pick. Favorite tracks: Starlings, Mirrorball ("We kissed like we invented it" - great line), Grounds for Divorce, An Audience with the Pope, One Day Like This (the anthemic ending always puts me in a good mood). Easy 5 for me.

Great album. Haven't listened in quite a while but it's good.

Wow. This album kinda stunned me. Like coldplays best songs but better. Want to send this to Kevin for Christmas

Very good

I really liked this. Really felt it was rewarding and satisfying album. I feel, after 4 or so listens, it will move into being a 5 stars album, so I'm going to give it that. Noice!

Loved this!! Hauntingly beautiful. Little echos of Coldplay.

Fuck it. I'm giving it 5/5. Whole album is great and I enjoyed every single song, but main reason is "One Day Like This" is a one of the greatest songs. Ever. It's simple, not overly complicated composition with simple message. It gives you hope in a way music should give hope.

Love it

p922. 2008. 5 stars. Fabulous Brit alt rock tinged with melancholy and gentle humour. There is not weak track on this.

Holy crap it happened, a band I've never heard of form this list whose music I immediately liked and added into my regular rotations. Hell yeah. That's what this whole exercise is about! I liked the opener Starlings, but a combo of "straight to my head like the first cigarette of the day" and the bass coming in on The Bones of You hooked me. Really liked the rest of the album. The Bones of You, One Day Like This are the shining favourites for me.

didn't know yet, awesome!

It’s a stunningly beautiful album. Melancholy, orchestration, story telling and Guy Garveys amazing tone. Love it. Mirroball and Friend of Ours stand out alongside the epic One Day Like This

One of my favorite bands and a fantastic album. Beautiful.

8 / 10 Rock relajado tipo Americana. A seguirlos.

Love this record. Great 2000's rock record. It's cinematic, it's lush, it's aggressive—it's wonderful.

A little like Dave Matthew’s Band

A beautiful album that never fails to make me feel things

A beautifully beery sentimental album

I love this album. I've been working on a cocktail called egg in a pint Ooooooooh oohh it's just an egg in a pint it's an ancient Chinese secret that I picked up in Leeds Ooooooooh ooohh it's just an egg in a pint.

Loved this album such a great sound.

Great discovery, really enjoyed this one. Each song is solid, diverse, & stands on its own.

really nice, a bit of genesis vibes, easy going music

Absolutely Stunning album both lyrically and with the lush orchestral arrangements... a true classic!

Somewhat depressing but beautiful atmospheric sound. Definitely would listen again. Nice lyrics as well. Radiohead + coldplay

What an interesting album. I especially liked the writing and the voice of the singer

good find

Aparecen muchos condimentos sin perder la estética del album, algunos me sorprendieron. Excelente álbum.

My god, what an album! How have I never heard of this band before? Oh yeah, it's because my daughter neglected to tell me about them.

The beginning of this live album was so orchestral (replete with kettle drums) I thought I might hate it. Spotify calls it cinematic. Yes, it is a huge and spacious album, lush and verdant like a forest protected in a cathedral. The incredible instrumentation including strings, horns, etc.. which frequently give artistic nods to classics like "Summertime" are very seductive. Vocals are excellent. Understated, humble. Eventually I realize how I'm shocked I've never heard of it. It may be one of the greatest live albums I've never heard. Just cohesive and exciting on many levels. Finding albums like this is the primary reason I joined this project. Powerful and moving.

😍

Great band - great music! The reason I signed up for this is precisely so that I can discover new favorites from the past! Until today I had never heard of them.

Completely blown away by this album. How had I never even heard of this group before. It’s rare that I love an album on first listen, but this is one of those. From beginning to end, it is a great album to listen to. It has some Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthew’s,….I’ll have to listen to it more to see what else, but it is one I will add to my playlist and listen to regularly. I even want to go check out there other albums!

Completely blown away by this album. How had I never even heard of this group before. It’s rare that I love an album on first listen, but this is one of those. From beginning to end, it is a great album to listen to. It has some Peter Gabriel, Dave Matthew’s,….I’ll have to listen to it more to see what else, but it is one I will add to my playlist and listen to regularly. I even want to go check out there other albums!

Really surprisingly good. Never heard of them before. Relaxing but fun.

I’d never heard of them before and I love it! Downloaded immediately

Starlings - big bombastic opener, love the contrast with the slow strings/piano and the brass section The bones of you - really vibing this, great instrumental contrast again, builds nicely Mirrorball - slower but still a banger Grounds for divorce - enjoyed this but probably the most ‘standard’ song so far The loneliness of a tower crane operator - this song straight VIBES The fix - still cool vibes Some riot - still vibin One day like this - really enjoy this one too, feels super upbeat after the last few songs Friend of ours - slow vibes out This was right up my alley, really enjoyed it

Very soothing

Of course I was aware of Elbow, but had never actually listened to any albums right through. Have changed that now, and am a convert

❤️❤️❤️❤️

very unique and can initially seem disjointed but it works amazingly well

At last! A great album. Uncomfortably close to the nub with a genuine sound it comes across fresh as a daisy to me.

Easy 5 for me. Going in, I had liked 8 of these tracks already in Spotify. I went ahead and like the other two. This record slaps. Elbow is criminally underrated.

Has bim wösch mache gloset und muess sege selte so sehr gvibed debi als mit dem album The bones of you und grounds for divorce was für banger. Genau sones album hani mir erhofft kenne zlerne wemme bi dem 1001album ding mitmacht. Für mich es 5/5

Whimsical isch so s erscht wort wo mer in sinn chunnt. Aber bis etze mag ichs voll? Ok nice gfallt mer sehr, finds öppis neus und bis etze isch kein track gliich? Ahhh eifach so so schön! Ohhhh grounds of divorce hett chli en andere vibe and i dig it! Noice Wieso tönt sini stimm wie zuckerwatte ih miine ohre? Can’t explain aber isch nice Ahh one day like this isch insane ich fühl mi wie imene film Friend of ours isch meeeega pretty. Bi richtige fan vo dem album tbh und vor allem vo dem lied. Mega nostalgisch iwie? Bi voll drinn versunke. Allgemein chli en jacob collier vibe. Jung, früsch experimentell und mega divers, iwie volle hoffnig und wunder und eifach sochli s attitude vowege wie chani welles instrument ihsetze und harmonie verwende und was chani alles demit mache? Spiele mit Dissonanze und Konsonanze sowie de intensität vo de melodie und tön. So toll.

I had never heard this album before, which is surprising because apparently several songs were features on shows that I watched in college. It’s almost specifically targeted at my tastes, I’m definitely going to relisten and wouldn’t be surprised if this made it into my most listened to albums of 2024 (its too late to make it to 2023). Originally I was thinking a 4 star rating, but as the album went on I found myself digging every song.

Really enjoyed this album. Great vocals. The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver was my favourite song. Need to explore Elbow more.

Love it!

A great find for me. Loved this indie rock album.

Turns out I already have listened to this album and liked lots of songs on it without realising. I will continue to do so

I'm pleasantly surprised to see Elbow on the list. It's not my favorite Elbow album, but there are some really good tracks on here.

I've listened to this a few times now and it really is incredible every single time. First off, the lyrics are fantastic - imaginative, playful, poetic, and sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes uplifting. The band behind frontman Guy Garvey play with a delicateness and at times brashness that conveys so much emotion and builds great tension. Overall, the album feels like you're transported into a childhood fairyland with equal parts light and dark that juxtapose each other so well. 9/10

What a ride

If Sting was in Radiohead. 6/5!!

very rich sound and colorful palette like the atmosphere of the album and it sounds huge and intimate at the same time

Perfect

It was really chill. I plan on listening to them in the future.

Whilst I think there are other Elbow albums that are just as good - if not better - as this this, Seldom Seen Kid is a great album. One Day Like This is such a beautiful anthem but the album is brilliant from start to finish. From the way the delicate start of Starlings gives way to the synth stab, the album constantly takes surprising turns (hello Grounds For Divorce’s convoluted but effective singalong). Guy Garvey’s voice has a fragility and honesty that comes from singing in his own accent whilst the lyrics approach Nick Cave levels of poetry (A friend of mine grows his very own brambles…) A fabulous album. I’d put at least another couple of theirs on this list too

Calm indy on a wet Monday morning fuck yeah.

Great

One of the best albums ever made. Every song becomes a new favourite.

Heerlijk compleet album, muzikaal, veel gebruik van klassieke instrumenten. Melodieus, goede stem. Ground for Divorce +++

Loved it

Weird and beautiful to listen to. Never heard of them before this listen. Really liked some of the "growling" harmonies Reminds me of artic monkeys / radiohead / Coldplay. I'll look into other stuff by them.

What a gorgeous album. Beautifully evocative, really paints a soundscape. Loved it.

Enjoyed it! Each song had a different sound and feel. Definitely an intentional listen, if that makes sense.

Timeless, brilliant, great production also.

Gewoonweg prachtig. Fenomenale stem van Guy, droomachtige lyrics, muzikaal heel sterk