Reviews (page 4 of 9)
My first time hearing this band and album. Great indie rock sound. The songs vary in style, keeping it interesting throughout. I particularly liked “Grounds for Divorce.” Terrific album overall.
Not listened to this for a decade! Saw them live on this tour and they were great. Not my favourite album of theirs, I prefer "Leaders". Mirrorball will creep into my brain unbidden at anytime, Grounds for Divorce is just a barrel of noisy slightly menacing fun, Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver is very unusual, and desperately swaggering quite incredible vocal performance. And of course then we have the overplayed big hit single of "One day like this" which listened to again with fresh ears deserves all it's plaudits, plastic pint glass raising anthemic gold.
I liked the production on this one a lot. Feels grandiose and moody when it needs to be. Great instrumentation as well. While it is good. I don’t think it’s worthy of five stars. Cool album nonetheless!
Enjoyed this more than I expected to. singles among the stand outs, but enjoyed the Richard Hawley one the most.
Worth another listen
Enjoyed this very much
Sooo lovely and sad , perfect for my constant despair
Likeable
I just wasn't into it.
I really enjoyed this record. I was unaware of their existence before this listen.
Great listen for when you're napping in the sunbeam with your cat ... or small child
A classic! The songs sounds complex yet accesible. Love the orchestral infused parts.
Very easy and flowing sounds. Vocalist adds great harmonies to what is already a comfortable instrumental listen. Great discovery.
This was quite the pleasant surprise, it was. Very nice vocals and music with an emotionally mellow vibe. Very nice.
A 2008 rock album that's not cringy hipster music? Nice! Impressive use of sound, symphonically moving. Great use of harmony and dissonance in the vocals.
Liked Elbow since forever. This is good.
Cool melodies/harmonies. Interesting dynamics
Solid rock album that wandered genres a little. Fun experience.
I really enjoyed this record. Surprised I wasn't more familiar with Elbow previously to be honest. Their sound is similar to a lot of bands I already enjoy. I guess I should say, as a progressive rock/art rock band I should at the very least know SOMETHING about them. But that's the beauty of this app! Will definitely revisit this record. Still unsure if it's a full blown 5 - would love to give it a 4.5 as it's a little lower energy than I typically like, but that's what multiple listens are for!
This is completely new to me. I've heard of Elbow but don't know any of their songs. I listened with my son on the way in to daycare and work this morning, he was in a bad mood when we got in the car and as soon as this started it was like a switched got flipped. We had a very nice drive together to the first half of this album, and the second half brought me to work. I'm looking forward to listening again. I love "Audience With The Pope" I'm glad I bought better work headphones for "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" "One Day Like This" is excellent. I really enjoyed this album, it sounds extremely lush through a nice set of head phones. I'm looking forward to listening to more Elbow.
Really good. Almost made me think of if Max Richter had a band.
Cool little album. Will mix them some slow, some fun guitar. Nice vocals
Bones of you is a banger👌
Great opener, enjoyed most tracks after it. Really like the voice. Really good instrumentation. A few songs were a bit too boring to rate it a 5.
Voice sounds like Sting, Seal and Peter Gabriel. The Bones of You is my favourite.
Had to listen to this twice as it slowly grew on me. A nice variety of sounds.
Good album, heard quite a few songs from them but didn't know the band.
Een beetje Radioheadish. Eindmuziek van een mooie indie jankfilm. Ik merk dat ik hier vandaag niet helemaal zin in heb, maar ik vind het wel goeie muziek. Het zit kwalitatief goed in elkaar, er gebeuren verrassende dingen, die zanger heeft wel een gaaf stemgeluid. Ondanks dat ik er niet echt zin in heb vind ik toch vooral de wat kleinere, zieligere nummers het best. Ik ben altijd wel gevoelig voor die tochtige-fabriekshal muziek. Niet om tof te doen maar de 2 hits vind ik het minst van dit album. Dat neigt wat meer richting die prototype Imagine Dragons achtige stadium anthems.
Erg divers en origineel
Musik gut, Stimme gut
Great album! „The bones of you“ and „Grounds for Divorce“ are my favorites.
First time listening to Elbow. Few great tracks, opener and #3 were great. Dragged on slightly toward the end, whilst The Fix should have been nowhere near this album. Take that away and it would have just tipped into the 4* bucket. As it is, it's an on the fence 3.5*
liked it more than I thought I would, Audience with the Pope is lowkey banger
Great album
3.5 stars rounded up. "One day like this" is great.
Cool find
Genesis/Phil Collins/Peter Gabriel but for British millennials 🔥🔥🔥
Sick
Leuke knutselsingersongwriterij, doet me een beetje denken aan Spinvis, nog wat relaxter, af en toe wat stevigere stukjes, het meandert lekker allerlei kanten op.
Het kan wel. Creatieve liedjes zonder kinderachtig te worden. Elbow toont een heel assortiment aan originele nummers, zonder dat het nep wordt.
Ik ken Elbow wel van de hitjes die ze hebben gehad, een paar wonderschone nummers moet ik zeggen. Zoals one day like this. Ik had ook wel eens een album van geluisterd, maar deze nog niet eerder. De productie valt me wel gelijk op, met ineens een harde toeter tussendoor en verder instrumenten of geluiden die niet zouden misstaan op een carnival/kermis uit de 19e eeuw. De zingende zaag zeg maar, muziek voor bij Suske en Wiske. Het heeft daardoor wel een bijzondere sfeer en daar past het karakteristieke stemgeluid van Guy Garvey prima bij. Ik heb me prima vermaakt met het album, het album luistert goed weg als 1 geheel en de hitjes kun je zo in een playlistje kwijt. Het is geen 5 sterren waard, daarvoor is het bij tijd en wijle net iets te wazig, maar de 4 sterren geef ik makkelijk weg hiervoor.
Bangers, ganske rolig
Þetta er bara ágætis plata.
Really enjoyed this, heard a few Elbow songs over the years and never listened to one of their albums.
Chill, a little overlong
This album is good! I like the opening song, got a little depressy by the end but I loved the opener as a fall mood listen. I'm interested to listen to their other albums
Good for my next depression episode
Atmospheric folksy UK indie with some electronic elements. Soothing and catchy at times, sleepy at other times. Good harmonies and diverse song structures. Lead singer reminds me of the dude from Beta Band sometimes. Really pretty stuff but overstays its welcome a bit.
Vocalist is really good. Reminds me of Peter Gabriel and Coldplay.
Ever since hearing One Day Like This for the first time, I’ve always wanted to get into this band and this album only makes me wish I got into them sooner The arrangements are stunning and Garvey’s vocals accompany them perfectly Favourite tracks: The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, An Audience With the Pope, Tower Crane Driver, The Fix, One Day Like This
i really liked this one - worth listening to again.
Liked it a lot, cool 90s rock
łokieć, pięta nie ma klienta.
Very erie tracks. Enjoyed the orchestral aragements and the voice of the singer. This was a good album. I could see myself coming back and listening to other songs of theirs.
Good chill vibes. Grounds for divorce always slaps.
Solid album. The 2nd song seemed out of place. I enjoyed the rest of it.
Strong 3/light 4
Pre-listening thoughts: This is the first album/artist combo I've gotten where I have never heard of any of it. Like no concept of what genre this band makes, nothing. I did some research before diving in just so I wouldn't be caught too off guard - it seems like it's indie/alt rock (also British). I'm actually kind of excited! I took this 1001 challenge on to expand my taste, and getting artists I already knew wasn't going to expand it alone. Post/during listening thoughts: You can soooo tell the lead singer is British lmao. Not a bad thing, just kinda funny. Starlings is a really lush and chill opening track, not low energy, still full sound-wise. The Bones of You is a really great track 2, propelling the listener forward into the rest of the album with its unique syncopation and addictive guitar/percussion combo (and the layered vocals!!). Let it be known that I'm also VERY biased towards female singers but this guy has a really lovely voice. Holy shit the production on Mirrorball. UGH. I already want to listen to this album again and I'm on TRACK THREE. Grounds for Divorce is like if Imagine Dragons were cool. Weather to Fly's high vocals are weird because they don't quite line up with the backing track - not sure if this was on purpose, but it's not my fav artistic choice. The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver kinda sounds like something my brother would make (not in a bad way to either party, just the use of the bass (sax?) and the rhythm remind me of his work). The transitions on this album are phenomenal. It's also an incredibly cohesive body of work. ONE DAY LIKE THIS. My god. the strings. This should've been the album closer tbh. There is no better feeling than discovering good new music. 8.5/10. Favorite tracks: The Bones of You, Mirrorball, One Day Like This, Hotel Istanbul (even tho it's a non album track) *super unrelated but I realized if I keep this up, in 20 days I'll get an album on my birthday and I'm so worried it's gonna be shit*
Is het echt? Een alt-rock album dat ik wel leuk vind? Deze zanger weet zijn karakteristieke stem fantastisch te gebruiken. Vol van emotie en enorm gevoelig weet het me het hele album te boeien. De uitgeklede productie is fantastisch en zorgt ervoor dat de orchestrale momenten nog harder binnenkomen. Favorieten: Starlings, Mirrorball, One Day Like This
Jamais entendu parler de ce cd ni même du groupe avant. Plutôt pas mal Sauvegardé pour réécouter plus tard
I don't know how to sum up this album other than with the word "interesting". It seems to exist in an area between genres. At its core it is a rock album, but there is so much layered on top of it that really made me pause and consider the production behind each song. Normally that's an aspect I don't really think about when I listen to music, I'm more interested in the melody and the lyrics. But the way these songs are put together is very unique. Coupled with the lyrics and melody, this album is an unusual yet intriguing emotional journey.
I like the production and Gus Garvey's voice keeps you interested. On first listen the thing that struck me was the diverse starts to each song. I especially like the trio that begins with the uptempo and catchy "Grounds for Divorce", followed by the lush piano intro and clever lyrics of "An Audience with the Pope" and ends with the haunting falsetto background vocals in "Weather to Fly". The Richard Hawley duet with its James Bond-ish theme is also cool. A classy album.
For my thirteenth birthday, I went to Nottingham’s Motorpoint Arena to see Muse. Supporting were Yourcodenameis:milo – a band whose energetic set I responded to there and then by thrashing around the moshpit, but would only properly “be ready for” a couple of years later; “Iron Chef” would feature on a mixtape of my teenage angst – and Elbow. I got absolutely nothing from Elbow that night. And in the 23 years since then, with the possible exception of a couple of chuckles during Guy Garvey’s 6music show, I’ve continued to get nothing from them. You’d pardon me for wanting “The Seldom Seen Kid” to get it over and done with reasonably quickly, then – but no luck, it’s almost an hour. An hour of admittedly highly proficient, often very clever, sometimes even exquisite easy listening … but still, pretty milquetoast fare. Last song, “Friend of Ours”, grabs my attention a bit differently. I let the album go around again – I’m outside restoring a rusted awning – and find some of the goodwill generated by the loveliness of the album’s final track carries over. I’m able to enjoy the tortured romance of “An Audience With the Pope”, “The Bones of You”, “Mirrorball” (we can take it as read that, alongside the rest of the planet, I have always been open to enjoying “Grounds for Divorce”). Later that night – around about now – I choose “Friend of Ours” to play while I type my review out. Again I’m stirred by the song’s gentleness, its warmth. But I can properly parse the lyrics now, and the sweetness I’d heard in previous plays hardens into something that completely disarms me. It’s a gorgeous song; the words “I love you, mate” have never sounded so perfectly at home as when housed inside its glow. So, 23 years to properly “be ready for it”. In the most perfect way: it says a lot more about me than it does them.
Beautiful stuff here, reminds me of Gorillaz more slow stuff.
What a great album! This group should be better known.
Not a bad album, quite an enjoyable listen from a band I’ve never heard of
Not their best but still a good listen.
I enjoyed this one far more than I maybe should have. Sure, it's really slow and super-emo but the musicianship is really great and the songwriting is off-the-charts good. I dig the Coldplay meets The Police vibe a lot. Really, the only detraction I can come up with is that it never varies from the slow/sad/chill vibe and I want more. I want to see what happens when these guys put a little energy behind their talent. Overall, a great album, though.
I love finding artists that I’d never heard of. This was a bit boring at times but overall very nice.
Thought I didn’t like it as it sounded too theatrical until it got to Grounds for Divorce, then liked that, An Audience With The Pope, and following songs. Would listen to again. Recognised One Day Like This.
Good but it feels dated for some reason
rock alternativo y lounge pop despuesdel diluvio.
Wow. A complete surprise. Never heard of til now. I liked a lot. Peter Gabriel vibe. Want to listen to it again.
It's like if Sting and Dave Matthew's band had a 1st cousin
4.5
I can't put my finger on it but i really like this album. There was no specific song that stood out to me while listening, just the general groove was great. It feels a bit like a mix between Radiohead, Massive Attack and Nick Cave. It hits just the right place of being experimental and different while still being catchy and nice to listen too. When i finished it, I wanted to listen to it again which is a 4 star in my book.
*Marked for further exploration. Really enjoying the album.
Liked this one.
Very good
I first heard Elbow in an advertisement for the tv show House. I really love Grounds for Divorce and this is one album I have come back to a few times.
some nice epic flourishes but it’s so gay, morrisey is the avatar of bittersweet romanticism, straight guys should leave it alone, they sound obese
I like this album. The melodies and the instrumentation are good. They set a very specific mood. Recognizable. Unique enough for the list. I usually like shorter songs, but these songs seem shorter than they actually are. I like this record. However, I can't think of any occasions on which I would want to put on a record like this. Favorite song: the fix.
I had never heard of Elbow before but definitely kept an open mind when I saw them described as a “cinematic” alternative rock band, which sounds like something I’d like and I’ve got to say I was pleasantly surprised with the sound of this album. This album definitely feels like an experience, it takes you through a lot of different moments which brings a uniqueness to the collection of songs. I have to say though some of this did remind me of Radiohead’s “In Rainbows” so is it not a coincidence these albums were released not too far apart from one another, I’m not too sure. Nevertheless there’s some great moments on this album, standouts include “The Bones of You” which follows a groovy progressive tone given by some of the backing instruments which sound like maracas and possibly a Spanish guitar layered with some more alt rock elements, a great track overall. Another standout being “Grounds of Divorce” which embodies almost a western style like something you’d hear in a movie montage, the guitar riff chorus is fantastic though, and of course I have to mention “One Day Like This” which incorporates more orchestral instruments and tones compared to the other songs I’ve mentioned and deservedly their most popular song. The rest of the songs have a more calm tone to them, for example, “Mirrorball” gives a similar mood to “Nude” by Radiohead although not as emotional I think which is one of the reasons for me comparing the two. Overall, I really did like this album, there was plenty of great songs and some proper expression in the songs that made it feel like a complete album. I do find some of the songs in the middle to let it down slightly though as they start to focus more on the atmosphere of the song more than anything else and I feel it strays away from some of the stronger songs on the record. All in all though a great record.
Had never heard this before. Very British. Intrigued enough to give it 4
I like that this album has an almost whimsical tone to it. I also appreciate the depth in the tracks with the background vocals, horns, and strings. Love the use of "holy cow" in One Day Like This. The whole song is very triumphant This album feels like a 3.5. I feel like Tim would really like it.
Me encantó, pero no me facinó. No se por qué, pero cada que veo la portada pienso que no está tan bueno, sin embargo en cuanto me pongo a escucharlo mi opinión cambia completamente cada vez que lo hago. Siento que es como el "Indie para adultos", y eso no es malo. Le doy 4 al momento de oírlo, aunque estoy seguro que, por alguna razón, le daré 3 cada que no lo haga.
Elbow is a bit hit or miss with me. I enjoy somewhat of their songs. But never really put on the records. This record does feel like a somewhat more expansive take on their sound. I like it, but I’m not won over yet to check out more. 7,5 out of 10
Better than I expected, worth a listen.
Un disco que toma mucho de mcuhas bandas, en algunas lo hace y encajan mejor o peor, dejando en evidencia de que no es un disco constante. Las letras son muy buenas, se cuenta una historia y es un disco inmersivo con concepto. En momentos se llega a ese sonido orquestal de escenario gigante, pero tampoco es ambicioso. Un disco que si estuviera mejor organizado en cuanto a lo musical se mereceria un ocho por eso le doy un 7,50/10. Incluso la mezcla no es buena en ocasiones y hay veces que la produccion se enreda un poco.
8/10
Very good
I had no idea what to expect from this and found myself really pleasantly surprised! I really liked this, and I enjoyed all of the songs. Fav tracks: Starlings, The Bones of You, The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver Least fav track: One Day Like This
People used to always talk about Elbow at school but I never listened to them. Kinda wish I did now. Really enjoyed the album, a good mix of different tracks. Possibly the only thing stopping it being 5 is the first track which tried to deafen me by blasting trumpets
So I would listen to curated radio stations named "ePiC mUsIc" which was populated almost entirely by tracks like "Grounds For Divorce". That shit was formative to my young ears. Wish the rest of the album was more like it but its a good listen nonetheless.
New to me. Okay hear me out - this guy's voice reminds me of a blend of Lenny Kravitz and sting and Chris Martin(Coldplay). It's kinda dreamy and wispy but he also pushes the rock with it. I like the creative instrumentation(strings and horns and multiple keys) between the songs, and their unique structure(prolonged builds and rare instrument highlights/voices). It's definitely not a cookie cutter album. Lots of minor keys and I like that too(the fix -spoooooooky, needs to be in a wes anderson movie)
Nostalgic and hopeful. This album represents where indie rock was around late 00’s. I do not know why I hadn’t heard about these guys before. They are one of the best kept indie secrets.
A smooth album with great imagery. Reminds me a bit of Harvey Danger's Little by Little.
Fantastic album. I’m surprised it came out in 2008, as I was getting strong late-90s/early 2000s Brit pop rock vibes. Singer channeled Chris Martin a bit. I dug the Coldplay vibes throughout.
This is a fairly new album in comparison to most other on this list and with newer albums it's hard to determine what is original and good vs what is just experimental nonsense. This album is absolutely fantastic, experimental and original in all the right places. Incredibly enjoyable and I look forward to listening to it again. 4/5
Had never heard of this band and was really impressed with this album. I will definitely listen to it again.
Such an interesting album, with moments of brilliance. Very nearly a 5 star for me. Perhaps I’m being cruel only giving it 4.
For some reason I found myself reluctant to finally listen to this one, but I don't really know why. Could have been life stuff and a busy new release week, I guess. Either way, I did finally listen to it and very much enjoyed it. First time listening to anything by Elbow, though I'm sure I've probably heard a song or two along the way without realizing it. "Grounds for Divorce" was my favourite song on the first pass, but I really enjoyed the whole album quite a bit and am sure further listens will only increase that enjoyment.
Well. I had never listened to much Elbow save for the stuff on the radio back in the day. One Day Like This had been played to death and tbh I was a little worried about listening to it - but apparently 10 years is long enough to be able to listen to it with fresh ears and it hit different. Thoroughly enjoyed.
I went from sighing, "oh no, not another brit pop band" in my head to bopping my head along with 'the Bones of You'. Once the deep baseline dropped in and the vocals climbed, I was hooked and disappointed in myself for having judged 'The Seldom Seen Kid' by its cover. I enjoyed every single track. The sound across the album is spatial and rich, and yet the arrangements and production are intimate. By the time I got to 'One Day Like This' my enjoyment had escalated all the way to frisson, and I was already eager to explore the rest of their musical catalog. If all my waxing on doesn't help, if you're interested in a blend of original-Coldplay-meets-Radiohead, then this one will be worth the while.
Guy Garvey doesn't initially sound like a singer, but his range is really good and he sings in tune with lovely melodies. Add in some quality poetry, wordplay, wit and emotive description to the hook laden music and elbow become the accessible and relatable version of Radiohead. Well deserved Mercury winner and an album that gets better with each listen.
Really cool
this is really really great, a nice indie banger. songwriting is the highlight for sure, but most of it also sounds very nice too. best tracks: grounds for divorce, mirrorball, the fix.
Great
"I've been working on a cocktail called Grounds for Divorce". Legendary opening line. Great album overall. Will keep listening to Elbow.
First listen I wasn't really getting into this and was thinking 3 but it must of got me into the mood for a second listen because now it's a solid 4. Love the tracks Grounds for Divorce, Hotel Instanbul, and One Day Like This is incredible.
I enjoyed this more than I expected to. This album came out after I retreated into my algorithmic media bubble and no longer had songs force fed to me by the TV and radio, which probably helped. I do enjoy hearing a singer with a regional accent. Reminded me of Eno-produced U2 at times. Fave track - "Weather to Fly" and the way it segues into "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver".
Nice music. Nice discovery.
Some of this kinda sounds like if Queens Of The Stone Age wasn’t heavy.
1/20- Going to school
Я пытался послушать альбом 3 раза, потому что после каждого прослушивания было мнение: альбом крутой, но я без понятия, что о нем написать, так что 4
Grew up with this shit. I like it
Echos of Tom Waits doing moody blues if he were Mancunian.
The more I listen to this album, the better it appears. I started with two or three stars the first time I heard it. Now I'm on a strong four. Perhaps it would have been five if I had waited with my rating...
This one was pretty good. Although the style is not quite my cup of tea, the music was pretty good. There is something very grandiose about this album, but it doesn't sully that feeling with anything cheesy or overdone. Highlights: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 10.
"The Seldom Seen Kid" is the fourth studio album by Manchester, England band Elbow. The band self-produced, mixed and recorded the album. The style is classified alternative rock and art rock. I'd agree with that, especially the art rock as the songs are typically carried by strings and/or the piano. The album debuted at #5 on the UK charts and won the 2008 Mercury Prize. Very successful. "Starling" starts things off with piano, strings and backing vocals. It takes 2 minutes before lead singer Gus Garvey comes in. Subtle music but builds as it goes on. He's trying to get her to love him as he loves her. The single "The Bones of You" has a flamenco sound and groove and uses elements of the Gershwin's "Summertime." Garvey's voice comes in sounding a lot like Mark Hollis of Talk Talk. They get more bluesy on their hit "Grounds for Divorce." A nice Led Zeppelin-esque groove. Chanting. Clapping. About alcoholism. The song has been used in various TV shows and video games. "Weather to Fly" with its piano reminded me of a Sigur Rós song. A beautiful sounding song and my favorite on the album. Richard Hawley joins the band on "The Fix" about rigging a horse race. Hawley deep voice, the strings and piano add suspense. It sounds like it was written for a movie. Their second single "One Day Like This" is dominated by strings and the piano. The best string arrangements on the album. Very romantic lyrics in this love song. The album ends with "Friend of Ours." Garvey almost whispers singing about a friend who passed away. I had mixed reviews on the first listen but by the second time through I really enjoyed it. They sound somewhat like latter day TalkTalk, Sigur Rós and Richard Hawley but are pretty unique. If you like any of those artists and/or more piano/string-driven rock (hello oxymoron), you probably will like this.
That's nice and chilled, worth listening again
I really enjoyed this! Maybe not a 5 (yet?), but I've saved the album.
I'd always dismissed Elbow as generic music for adverts but I rather enjoyed this album
There is a lot to like about this album, which I think I listened to off and on when it came out. British indie with nice layering/depth, good lyrics, some solid tracks. But I just don't like it nearly as well as other albums in the genre that came out around the same time. To me it is just not particularly groundbreaking. I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't be inclined to put it on again. 3.5 rounding up in recognition of solid musicians.
Kinda groovy and jam-y. Pretty fun listen.
Добротный инди альбом с интересным звучанием, красивыми и оригинальными текстами и просто позитивной атмосферой. К сожалению, под конец альбом слегка провисает для меня, но это не отменяет тот факт, что альбом звучит отлично на протяжении всего часа. (7.5)
This was quite good but something was missing to be a 5 star. The songs were all almost perfect...however I cannot put my finger on why.
Éclectique dans les goûts, magnanime dans la note
gros dodo donc généralement c’est bon signe
Pop británico de calidad. Muy buen álbum. Fantásticas melodías melosas, muy fácil de escuchar y suave.
I kind of loved this. At the start of the first song, I thought I was in for something Jason Mrazian which is not a good thing but by the end of it I was intrigued and the second song blew me away. The whole album was catchy, creative, skilfully made, fun.
PREFS: Starlings, The Bones of You, An Audience with the Pope, The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, The Fix, One Day Like This MOINS PREF : Grounds for Divorce
idk what this is but i'm about it
Very very interesting album, reminded me of some late oasis stuff, atmosphere was great and had some cool vocal melodies, def will need a few more listens to really stomach what was heard. Fav songs Grounds for divorce Weather to fly The loneliness of a tower crane 7.5/10
There is potential for Elbow to be an artist / band that I would listen to. Nothing from The Seldom Seen Kid seemed familiar to me. I was trying to figure out how to categorize this album. I heard a little Coldplay?, a less acoustic David Gray?, a bit of a less electronic LCD soundsystem?, or a more melodic Tom Waits? The album was good, and I'd be interested in hearing mor from Elbow. "Weather to Fly", "One Day Like This", and "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" were my favorite tracks.
Why do Manchester so often celebrate mediocrity in the Stone Roses and Oasis when they have the wit and beauty of groups like this?! Guy Garvey's lyrics are dry and moving and clever, and the music is so rich and varied that not even the X Factorification of One Day Like This can spoil it.
(Content warning: discusses lyrics that employ offensive terms (not from Elbow's lyrics, obviously)) I have been bedridden for the past two (EDIT: three) weeks with a thoroughly mangled left foot, so I have paused this odyssey. Whilst watching a lot more telly than I normally do when not convalescing (humblebrag), I regularly got bombarded with an advert of Katy Perry selling a takeaway app (in the 90s, American celebrities never appeared on British ads, but made cringeworthy ads for Japanese TV, with the incorrect assumption that they would probably not migrate to the west; I don't know what it means for Harvey Keitel and Snoop Dogg nowadays to flog insurance companies and takeaways on British screens, but everyone knows Kevin Bacon's only in our ads because Bernie Madoff nicked all his dosh). In this ad, Katy Perry sings the ring-a-ding-dong refrain from Dr. Dre's Keep Their Heads Ringin'. I wouldn't complain, except the original has the lyric "When I flow, niggas know it's time to take a hike/'Cause I grab the mic and flip my tongue like a dyke". Aside from the homophobia, everyone knows Dre is a stilted, plodding and amateurish rapper who is much more content behind a mixing desk (his raps are also ghostwritten, but that doesn't make them bad; it's their bad writing that does that). The allusion to such coarseness was not what I wanted when I was in a fortnight of constant, sharp pain (EDIT: and add another week for luck). This is not due to prudishness on my part: I'll cheerily affirm that I've been wanking ten times a day just to pass the time. No, it was just a reminder of an ugliness I didn't appreciate. So, I hoped returning to the project with Elbow's Seldom Seen Kid would prove refreshing. Just by the album art, you can immediately tell that this is a completely wholesome bit of indie good taste, the acoustic equivalent of a morning jog followed by a breakfast of an apple, a banana and bran flakes in semi-skimmed milk. And like such a morning, I tried to convince myself that I was looking forward to this album. Yet just as I would fear a chilly downpour greeting me as I woke, something about the name Elbow gave me a minor yet distinct shudder. You see, Elbow have five letters in their name, and three of those letters are L, O and W. Couple that to tasteful, respectfully eclectic indie, and we are left wondering if Elbow are actually just Wilco faking British accents. My fellow invalids, I reviewed Wilco's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot two albums and two weeks (EDIT: bastard three weeks) ago, and it had Wilco's Old Faithful annoyance of being bourgeois pastiches of country rock done in exacting good taste, and thus being tolerable and utterly unlovable. And yes, The Seldom Seen Kid very occasionally veers into Wilco's turf. But thankfully, Elbow mainly show good good taste, unlike Wilco's bad good taste. Elbow are one of those British indie bands where everyone's heard the name, but nobody can place a song until someone points out what that song is. In Wilco's case, that song is on this album, One Day Like This, but we'll get to that later. Elbow arose in the aftermath of Britpop, and noticably display no indications that they have ever been influenced by the begetter of British indie, punk. Indeed, Elbow's leader Guy Garvey has been notorious for lauding prog, citing Gabriel-era Genesis, Talk Talk and Radiohead as prime inspirations (the astute reader will note the tastefulness of those choices, unlike, say, ELP or Jethro Tull). On The Seldom Seen Kid, which won the Mercury Prize for best British album in 2008, those specific bands don't receive direct shout-outs, but don't worry folks, there's plenty of record-collection rock here worth mining for allusions. For example, their other the-one-song-of-theirs-you've-heard, Grounds for Divorce, is their bluesy, Led Zeppy number, and it's quite good as a bluesy, Led Zeppy number. But that would just make Elbow the English Wilco, if a touch better. But somewhere in the middle of The Seldom Seen Kid, with the songs An Audience with the Pope and Weather to Fly, a bit of pixie dust falls onto the music and it soars, raising the listener with it. The album has this sense of both the epic and the understated which puts Elbow firmly above Wilco. This ascension peaks with One Day Like This, Elbow's Hey Jude, their stadium singalong. Happily, the song's ubiquity and potential for parody haven't really diminished it: the song feels like it possesses a reasonable grasp of its own absurdity and so one feels unabashed in joining in. And since I've been wanking ten times a day, and if it didn't come with the infernal foot agony, one day spent wanking strikes me as rather the noble aspiration as of late. As I said earlier, mild touches of Wilconess prevent this from attaining the full 5 stars. But there's definitely much to savour here, especially if you've been plagued by the wrong type of coarseness. NoRadio, signing off.
It's a nice listen, and musically pretty interesting. I'm glad I gave it more than one listen, because it's definitely grown on me a lot more with repeat listens. I've now upgraded this from a 3 to a 4 because I really like a lot of what they're doing here.
Decent album. I knew one song from Elbow from a later album already and liked it.
La producción está buena 🥵
First song, I'm thinking "oh no... another boring album." But then the next few songs, I was taken aback how much I liked this.
Really impressive lyrics. Pretty pleased with this album despite its slow pace.
Elbow really is a remarkable band. The Seldom Seen Kid almost overflows with intimacy ('Friend of Ours') and atmosphere ('The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver'). My personal two highlights where when the strings kicked in on 'Mirror Ball' and the über cool pseudo title track 'Grounds For Divorce'. Guy Garvey's voice truly is haunting and fits the entire feel of the album very well.
Elbow is one of those bands that manages to be praised universally by reviewers while flying just below the public’s radar. And that’s, to put it mildly, a shame. Guy Garvey’s emotional and heartfelt vocals haunts every minute of the album and it’s as if his presence fills up the entire room. The Seldom Seen Kid is both intimate and at times truly grandiose - and Elbow manages both equally perfect. It’s one of those albums where you just kick back and enjoy the entirety of the ride completely.
Understated yet grandiose. Melancholy and drenched in nostalgia. Consistent.
Wow! Another great album and it took me down a rabbit hole of bands/albums id never heard before.
Rock
bem agradável os sons, calmo
Oh! I know like a handful of these songs! Never heard of Elbow before but yeah this album was really fun, some stuff was moody, some was cool, good example of enjoyable 2000s music.
Interesting sound
This album was a pleasant surprise. Chill. Well balanced. Relaxing but emotional. Layered And Oddly nostalgic, even though I've never heard them. I think I enjoyed every song. Especially enjoyed Grounds for Divorce & the Crane Driver one.
Wow, I really enjoyed that, I guess they play these guys on the Bridge.
The opening track jump scare was incredible Luke told me it sounded like Halloween and Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless mind so Ill just go with that One Day Like This?? This?? THIS!!??!
definitely fits my post-redlands mellow/emotional phase. reminds me of being about 20 years old. I do enjoy, and will listen again.
Really enjoyable album. Musically, Floyd; Lyrically (and vocally), Coldplay.
A really lovely album, the instrumentation is gorgeous throughout and there are some incredible vocal harmonies on basically every track. Every song has its own unique sound and character yet complement each other really well, and it's just a tremendously rewarding listen
Loved it
Excelkent
Very chill, great background music, lyrics didn't matter since they aren't heard easily and the music tells the story. Repeated a lot
Very chill and relaxing band early on in the album.
I like that song Starlings. This was a groovy album and I like the story that the songs tell
4.0 - Gorgeous in some stretches. I especially love “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver.” I also love Guy Garvey’s voice that reminds me of Peter Gabriel. Sweet melancholy, this is a record for a relaxing evening at home.
Pretty similar to every 00s indie band, but I like that stuff, so I enjoyed this too.
I only knew "One Day Like This", which was a favourite of my partner so it was played on a loop when it came out. In some ways this has put me off the band. It's a good song, with a structure very like Hey Jude, very catchy and anthemic, but I heard it too many times. So what do I think of the album. I quite like the sound of the vocals. Lyrics are more interesting, grown-up and imaginative than most. Melodies are not too obvious, and catchy in places. I have a feeling lots of the lyrics, especially in the verses, were written first, and the melody sometimes twisted to fit - they don't always quite go. Quite a languid, summery vibe. I noticed a lot of the songs are on the long side 4-6 minutes, maybe sometimes out staying their welcome. Arrangements are inventive and atmospheric - in places there is a touch of the dramatic sometimes maybe heading towards bombastic. The Bones of You has an interesting rhythm. Grounds for Divorce is a good song. Weather to Fly hangs together nicely, dreamy but coherent. Loneliness of a Tower Crane driver has a distinctive airy arrangement and nice soaring vocal. The Fix is a kind of heist song with mystery movie themes with big contribution from Richard Hawley. Friend of Ours is a poignant and heartfelt ending. I prefer the slower songs.
Really enjoyed this album. Sounded like a smoother Sting with a sloppier backup band.
A really nice, flawlessly produced indie album. Uplifting but not TOO cheesy
Perfect for calm & melancholy days
Alors oui Elbow a du talent mais il est quand même extrêmement chiant. Me reviens d'ailleurs d'une anecdote, lorsque j'avais invité Elbow a partager la soirée en compagnie d'un groupe d'amis. Après deux heures de discussions animées, Elbow n'avait toujours pas osé le moindre mot, restant recroquevillé sur un bout de table.
Some really nice songs here. I remember my Mum playing this album quite a lot when it first came out, so it was nice to revisit from beginning to end. Guy Garvey has such a recognisable and easy to listen to voice, Favourite of mine has to be The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver, such great sounds and lyrics!
Vraimrmt bon, j’aime la musique production et le vibe dd l’album et aussi toutes les direction qu’ils prennet. 4.75
Hadde ikkje høyrt heile før, ganske bra
Could listen to again
Really enjoy the sound of this album. Recommended listening.
I imagine a cabal of dads made this album and the rest of elbows discography to bore the rest of the world… still though I’m not a dad and I like it. I don’t dig the album though, there’s great singles, the one with Richard hawley is good (though if you want Richard hawley go for the longpigs although they’re not on the list). Every song is good and theoretically hits a high threshold but I can’t give it a 5 or anything, has to be a 4
I am very much here for Elbow. This is the kind of working class British music in the loosely rock and roll sphere I can get behind. More of this, less of new wave, please.
Loved this when it came out and it's as spine tingly beautiful now as it was then.
By turns casually exuberant to beautiful melancholy to majestic, musically this album soars. Guy Garvey’s mellifluous vocals and the wryly observed humanity of the lyrics link the songs back into the familiar. The two together create something quite special, with intimate, relatable songs underscored by emotionally fulfilling music. Superb.
A really excellent album with some modern classics on them. Can't believe it only came out in 2008. Some of these songs are so ingrained they feel like they have been around for ever. A real pleasure to listen to again.
Great songs. Not a massive fan of his voice though if I’m bein critical.
Dark, complex, interesting and thoroughly solid from start to finish.
Great and underrated.
Not sure why I haven’t heard them before. Good listen.
Big ol cinematic rock
Yummy yum yummy yum
very unique album, it has a variety of different styles throughout, hard to compare it to something else or to really narrow it down to a genre but i think its really good
Indie/Prog? An album that will never jump out at you. It's one you'll have to sit down with, maybe with a pint and some crisps, and interrogate it. It can be a slog, but it's worth it. Best Tracks: Starlings; Grounds For Divorce; One Day Like This
03/31/2022 Hadn't heard of this band before. Similar sound to Sting and Peter Gabriel. Really easy to listen to... I'm a fan!
Simply masterful. Guy Garvey is probably a genius. A wonderfully sublime album which showcases Elbow's complex simplicity (an oxymoron I know). If you ever wanted to know how to build a beautiful song by carefully layering simple instrumental melodies and harmonies and blending them with apparent effortlessnes, then this is the altar at which you should pray.
yes i agree this was some good stuff
I really dug this. Not familiar with Elbow at all, but there was so much to listen to in these songs. Hard to pin just how many things I'm reminded of listening to this, but overall I really enjoyed it.
Coldplay-esque indie-rock. "The Bones of You" is fantastic, great weight to the bass and captivating vocal performance. Wish more songs shared the intensity of that track, but I actually enjoy this quite a bit. Production is pristine and clear. A couple of snoozers but good overall.
OverallUK version of Lambchop is what I think, but maybe not quite as good overall. Opener is lovely and thoughtful and “Bones of You,” very groovy and compelling. The record is interesting throughout – lots of moments. ”One Day Like This” is a later highlight. I admit not loving Garvey’s vocals or style. And I get a little lost in the inclining to melodrama and theatricality, which feels like trying too hard. The production is overdone at times, too. The uplift from the initial cuts is never re-achieved, though I suspect this is a record that rewards repeat listening (say on a long flight). 3.7 and rounding up (with bonus points more for Damon Runyon references than the Mercury Prize) but not a strong 4, a 4-minus, if you will.
Необычный альбом. С ходу даже не могу выделить на что это было бы похоже. Интересный звук, гармонии, инструменты. Пару песен я слышал и до того, как прослушал целый альбом.
Kind of a 3.5 stars for me, but it's a good listen
Favorite songs: The Bones of You; Mirrorball; Grounds for Divorce; An Audience with the Pope; The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver The Fix; One Day Like This.
Really liked this one....good background music...bit of an old Depeche Mode slow song feel to much of the album
Rating: 7/10 Bests songs: Best of you
Before this, I hadn't heard of Elbow, but I was blown away by how much I liked this album. I really liked the feel of it and the style. Definitely revisiting this one in the future. Favorite songs: Starlings, The Bones of You, Weather to Fly
Finally, something brand new to me that I really enjoyed. Very cool stuff, kind of like progressive rock meets alternative. A bit like Radiohead, and can definitely hear the Peter Gabriel/early Genesis influence, especially on the vocals. Really interesting - I plan to delve more deeply into Elbow's catalog now. 4 stars.
On first listen I didn't know much what to make out of this. It sounded like one of those records nicely written, nicely played, nicely recorded but not much more than that. On second listen it started revealing itself. I now understand the comparisons with Sting and Peter Gabriel other writers brought up. There is also some Graceland-era Paul Simon (Weather To Fly, which is magnificent by the way); An Audience With The Pope has that guitar playing in the style of Mark Ribbot. The Fix has that California-era Mr Bungle thing going on. I wasn't that impressed with Grounds For Divorce (which seems to have given Imagine Dragons a couple of ideas) nor was I with the lush orchestration of Friends Of Ours, but I did like the orchestra on One Day Like This. Still I wonder: does this record really deserve the classic status? We might not know yet, or at least I am not totally bought for the time being.
Brit pop but not Brit pop, interesting and cool
I've never heard of elbow but I'm glad I was able to give this a listen. It was reminiscent of DCFC or DMB. Great background type music or mellow rainy day music.
Me pareció interesante y hasta curioso porque no sabría colocarlo en algún grupo ni geográfico, ni racial, ni musical. La voz y la instrumentación y el estilo están ahí como en medio de muchas cosas y eso les dio un punto extra. Me gustó en general, pero en especial "Grounds for Divorce" (que me suena como a soundtrack para una escena final de película), y resulta que hasta tienen música lanzada este año y que no está nada mala.
Grounds for divorce and one day like this are bangers! Elbow were a different band in my head though, I think I maybe had them confused. Love those songs, the others didn't quite hit me the same way but we're alright
I really enjoyed this, beautiful and varied. Elbow always surprise me - there's one song on here I had either forgotten or had no idea was Elbow! So wasn't their style I associated with them.
I love elbow.
Elbow rules
Never listened to it in full before and the lyrics are great. Played about 4 times in the day and whilst it wasn’t ideal for the gym it was perfect at other times.
horoshiy
I never got on with Elbow's first album, and it out me off listening to their later stuff. But this is phenomenal and I wish I'd given them a second chance at the time. The only track I don't like is "One Day Like This," which EE used as its hold music and I'll forever associate with stressful calls.
7/10
Absolutely love One Day Like This but the rest of the album isn’t quite enough to push it to full marks.
Really well crafted album, can tell a lot of work was put into the string section (and a real string section not a synth). Comes across as possibly too polished. Big songs, especially One Day Like This.
Intimate with shocks of sound that jolt your ear in the best way possible. Dynamics were great. Really well done overall.
I'd only recently been acquainted with Elbow but had not heard anything from this album, so here we go... The vocals sound like a mix of Peter Gabriel, Sting, and Fish (Marillion)....this is a high compliment. I'm not often/usually/ever "into" vocals - mostly they're a necessary addition (or distraction) but too up front or over the top and it takes over and ruins things. But I'm finding them (vocalist: Guy Garvey) a real equal/compliment to the music -> which i *love* - mysterious, cinematic, melodic, yet accessible. For me their best songs keep the mystery - there are literally no bad tracks on this album but some of the more up-tempo/rock ones seem slightly out of their comfort zone (specifically "Grounds For Divorce" is a bit of a throwaway). You definitely need variety on an album of course but Elbow works best at any tempo when they're using more instrumentation. Having said that, it's nitpicking and if you're a fan of complex and delicate melodies in the vein of anything from Radiohead to Genesis to Pink Floyd and with a modern bent this is a keeper. I also feel like this album will only grow on me as I get more familiar with the songs. 8/10 4 stars
This is my type of rock, very stripped-back instrumentation with moments of it being heavier. Very artsy, not quite smooth voice. Exactly what I go to alternative/indie for. Bonus tracks don't do it for me, definitely feel cobbled on the album
Enjoyed Grounds For Divorce & An Audience with the Pope & The Fix. Didn’t like Some Riot.
Myndi alveg hlusta á aftur. Minnti mig á Sigurrós
How have I never heard of this band before now? A bit melodramatic overall butt obvious talent with some interesting song writing and arrangement
What a beautiful album, and a pleasant surprise from not only a contemporary artist but one unknown to me. Great production and use of strings, harmonies, indie guitar playing, and some truly quality songwriting.
Great and versatile album, loved "One day like this"
Really Cool vocals, and some awesome songs overall. Not always my style but overall great
Mi disco favorito de Elbow con diferencia. Creo que fue el primero o el segundo que escuché. Canciones como The bones of you, Grounds for divorce, Weather to fly y One day like this. Supongo que no es para todo el mundo pero para mí está entre los imprescindibles de segunda línea.
Elbow are the early to mid 00s English alternative/pop rock band that should have been bigger than Oasis and Coldplay (because they're better). A low bar for some, but I'm not damning them with faint praise. This album is a diverse yet cohesive unit, comprised of anthems, ballads, and weird indie shit, sometimes all in the same song. Somehow it all works. Best track: One Day Like This
Really nice, reminds me of radiohead a little. Some lovely tracks: the bones of you/mirrorball/grounds for divorce are my favourite
Liked this! Good ambient driving music with some fun fugues
Loved it!
Radiohead lite vampire weekend vibes. Lyrics are simplistic but poetic. nice and dreamy.
Mellow and lovely
ну инструментальненько и интеллигентненько все так. Голосок, барабаны, гитарки, всё на месте своем
Really good. Will listen again
Nice album but a bit whiny
Dit heeft een beetje peter gabriel ballade vibes. Zeer leuk alleen had er soms zo iets meer up-tempo of harder tussen mogen zitten. Anders had een half uurtje beter geweest.
Wow echt een zeer fijne ontdekking!
True story: I've owned this record forever, just never actually listened to anything aside from "Grounds for Divorce". I'm very surprised how much I enjoyed this record. It's indie rock with a lot of interesting instruments, structures, and vocal performances. I think it hits a lull mid-album that only really recovers at "Some Riot", but I think the 4-song run of "The Bones of You" through "An Audience With the Pope" is just perfect. Favorite tracks: "Mirrorball", "Grounds for Divorce", "The Bones of You", "An Audience With the Pope"
An inventive, gorgeous, eerie, smooth album! I love the more creative/genre-blending tracks on here, like the jazzy closer and "Some Riot". "Grounds for Divorce", despite the awesome track name, was a low point, it felt a little generic pop-rock, but it's not that egregious taking into account the year this was made.
Nostalgia boner, definately on rotation from now on
Surprisingly, this is a really good album. Pop is generally boring and repetitive, but this was just enough of an outlier to feel new but familiar enough to not be annoying.
4.0
Seems like a very well-made album. Had some interesting moments, but overall didn't grab me. Felt mellow overall. Hotel Istanbul was neat. Not sure how to rate it. It was good, just didn't love it.
A pleasant surprise!
very calming, some very interesting sounds/harmonies? the fix
Some lovely tunes. Not really my thing: file it with Coldplay, Snow Patrol etc. Generally very nice inoffensive AOR with the occasional standout track.
i quite liked a lot of the songs on the album!! esp audience with the pope, mirrorball, grounds for divorce, and the bones of you... gives me kinda radiohead-but-for-people-who-are-on-the-road-to-depression-and-aren’t-quite-at-rock-bottom-yet vibes ... also the album art is sick !!
Started out strong, then got a little precious, ended fairly decent.
Really good! Sounds like early Radiohead, better Coldplay, also The Doves
I really enjoyed this, it was right up my alley and something I’d never heard of!
Creative, strings, want to listen it more
Good
Some really incredible songs, but overall album wasn’t a cohesive listen
Really artsy, sweeping, and dramatic. Good music, all over the place in many different styles. Kind of takes away from the song's "albumness" though. i.e. had they chosen a consistent style to REALLY hammer home, could have been nuts. Instead we're left with an appetizer plate of a bunch of really great starts, but nothing complete
A bit more U2 influence than I’m into but otherwise good
Liked this pretty well. Listened to a few other albums and liked those too!
Was not aware of this band so wasn't sure what to expect, but very pleasantly surprised.
This was an awesome intro to elbow. I will be looking at more of their stuff because I love their style. The fix is brilliant as is grounds for divorce
I had only ever heard one song from Elbow before but I had no idea who they were. But I really liked this album. Creative use of instruments to create a different rock sound
Really enjoyed this
cool
I really liked this album. I've never heard of the group Elbow before. It seemed like a toned down indie rock album.
I liked it a lot. Like a lot. I will relisten. Cool sounds, made me feel like I was in a movie. Don't know why it's on the list but I'm happy I found it. 7/8, fav song, (don't know).
Ive listend to this one before. Grounds for divorce is great!
2008. Key Songs: Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, One Day Like This
Pleasantly surprised. It had relaxing sounds while not sounding boring, very good.
I'm not quite sure what was going on with "Grounds for Divorce" which sounds like every other radio piece of shit that was coming our around that time, but the rest is fine. The first three tracks promise somethign really quite interesting, but as the divorce song hits it's all kind of downhill, though it is by far the worst of it. The remaining songs are kinda uninspired and aren't terrible, but largely forgettable and not nearly as interesting as the openers. The comparisons to Radiohead I think aren't quite accurate. I think a lot of people confuse anything British that isn't radio rock with Radiohead. I actually feel like these guys are early Muse, before they got enormous. Now Muse sounded like Temu Radiohead at first too, but we're digressing. This band seems like they're almost experimental, and I like the variety of instruments they use plus all the non 4/4 songs. What I don't like is that the singer is really far too front and center. It's not that he's a bad singer, but this is very focused on his lyrics which are sometimes quite nice, but other times a bit shit. The latter 2/3 of the album could be written by someone else for this dude to perform by himself. Really disappointing given the start. I guess a 3 is appropriate but really without the opening tracks this is a 2.
I get why kid was seldomly seen
Pleasant listening experience. I think I’d have to listen a couple more times to fully appreciate it
Favorite tracks: The Bones Of You, Some Riot, One Day Like This. I started this with cynicism and kept changing my rating as it went on. This flavor of earnest indie takes me back to the cringier parts of the 00s. There was so much music like this; I like a few albums, then there's a sharp cutoff in my interest in this genre. That said, if I had heard this back then, it probably would've been my personality for a while. So, begrudgingly, I must admit that I enjoyed this. 3.5 stars.
The Fix
Yeah I tell ya Moe, I’ve seen some albums 3 before, but this is the 3iest 3 that ever 3’d
They say that this band is like Radiohead. But I hear them more like Coldplay with a slightly harder edge. Wish there was more Radiohead.
⭐⭐⭐+ Lågmäld indierock. Som så många gånger tidigare i det här projektet så växer albumet med några lyssningar. Det är soft och tillbakalutat. Sångrösten får mig ibland att tänka på Peter Gabriel men vet inte riktigt varför. Skulle nog kunna komma tillbaka till albumet men frågan är om det sticker ut tillräckligt för att jag ska komma ihåg det. Tycker det är tillräckligt intressant och för rätt tillfälle en behaglig lyssning för att ge det en stark 3a. Bäst är Mirror ball, Grounds for divorce, Weather to fly, The Fix, One a day like this
Meh.
It's fine. Sounds like Snow Patrol.
Not spectacular, I think this benefited from contemporary acclaim at the time of writing this list. Has certainly faded since. 3*
wth sure
I can’t believe I had never heard of these guys. They didn’t sound super Manchester. I did like it!
I really liked this group and album.
Actually really enjoyed this! They had a lot of musical range, no two songs sounded the same and they were catchy. I also knew one near the end. Don't think I'd listen again but was bopping along when they were on.
This was okay.
langsam und ein kleines bisschen monoton…wenn man sich rein geben kann, kanns aber durchaus einnehmend sein
3.5. Not as good as you want it to be, but gas some great tunes. Quite like Cherry Ghost.
노래 분위기가 꽤 좋았다. 다 처음 들어보는 노래였는데 분위기랑 음이 좋았다. 그리고 앨범 재킷이 겜성있는 것 같다. The atmosphere of the song was quite good. It was my first time hearing these songs, but the atmosphere and sound were good. And the album jacket seems gamey.
Doesn't move the needle here. Good, not great.
not my style
3.4
One song off of this album had somehow made it onto my ipod and to this day I don’t know where it came from. I liked it and kept telling myself that I would go and check out the rest of the album but similar to my morning exercise routine, it would never happen. Now that I’ve finally heard the full album I kinda wish I hadn’t. Add it to the list of things that failed to deliver on 18 years of anticipation.
I liked the vibe of the album. It had its ups and downs, but the former outweighed the latter. The music especially shines during the quieter, more personal moments that build around a particular theme and gradually develop it into something meaningful. That approach is repeated throughout the entire album, and it made for a consistently enjoyable listen. My favorite song was "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver".
Cold play with a little more stank
Sorta reminded me of Peter Gabriel with some emo Radiohead mixed in, which oddly works. Never heard of this band, but enjoyed the listen.
Radiohead but not as whiny?
Sounds like if Mumford and sons was Coldplay. I enjoyed this.
I really liked Grounds for Divorce and added it to my Indie Classics playlist. I still think there are a lot of white singers from the UK who sound an awful lot alike, but this one had a pretty cool guitar band behind it.
Really dug the direction in the first half but that second half just lost it for me. Went a more folky direction I wasn't prepared for and I don't think they did the genre justice. Highlight: Mirrorball
Elbow, huh? It's like they decided that calling themselves The Bends was too obviously a Radiohead reference and thought, "well, what bends?" I think the most dissonant part of this for me is the singers slightly husky voice. That's maybe the most notable outlier for all the Radiohead/Coldplay comparisons. "Weather To Fly" almost sounded like Sting. And I got slightly excited when I heard "The Fix" and thought the Richard Hawley/Nick Cave sound really added to the mix, and then I realized it was actually Richard Hawley on vocals there. I think this occupies a space between Radiohead and Coldplay for me; it's not as compelling as Radiohead but not as comatose as Coldplay. It's been playing in the background all morning and it's been fine right there in the background. The fact that any of these tracks has 113M Spotify listens is truly baffling but so are people. I'd give this a solid 3.25 if quarter-stars were a thing. 7/20 stars.
Attractive album. Unlike other reviewers, I don't do much get Radiohead-lite. I really ike the lead's voice, and the vocals mix. One Day Like This is a good one.... then some of the other songs lost me as dazed and confused. Saved a few tracks.
Today's dose of B-list britpop-indie, led by a conspicuously Peter Gabriel-sounding singer (did they wear a mask on stage? do they give a real name when they introduce themself?) It's a nice album with a good amount of standout moments, a little too dull on average for a higher rate but it is worth hearing once
Between 3 and 4 for me
Nice
Good