Archive for the ‘Elbow’ Category
Elbow – Seldom Seen Kid Review
Elbow’s The Seldom Seen Kid shocked quite a few people when it was announced as the Mercury Prize winner as it beat out the likes of Burial’s Untrue and Radiohead’s In Rainbows. I really didn’t check out many albums on the Mercury shortlist for one reason or another. I didn’t like British Sea Power’s Do You Like Rock Music? or Radiohead’s In Rainbows for that matter (yeah I’m one of the few that “hated” it). I did enjoy Burial’s Untrue to a certain extent but it was dark, gloomy, eerie and I was never in the mood for it.
To be honest it was an underwhelming year for me and I didn’t really care who won, unlike the Polaris prize (which I found myself intently watching). I do always what I am missing out with the winner. I did enjoy last year’s winner the Klaxons but to be fair, it probably shouldn’t have won.
I know nothing about Elbow. They’ve been together since 1990 apparently and Seldom Seen Kid is the 4th studio release. I don’t have any background knowledge on their history and thus I had zero expectations (other then the pressure of living up the fact they won the prize).
The album starts with Starling, and quickly becomes my favorite track. It starts with the use of an organ and falsetto serenading the track before the grandiose style entrance. It takes almost 2 minutes to begin with Guy Garvey’s awkward vocals but at this point I’m not complaining. The slight use of the organ, makes this song a peaceful song to listen to and it really eases me into Garvey’s voice and concentrate on his lyrics. I hate the “Grounds For Divorce” title, I keep thinking of song by Wolf Parade which is absolutely superior to this track. The music on this track is a little more aggressive but I have Garvey’s vocals harder to muster at this point. I found myself misinterpreting or just not understanding his vocals that created an emotional disconnect.
A track that stood out but I ended up was “The Fix”. I dug the simplistic intro but it didn’t really build on song. The song seemed to be made more for a movie but it felt a little cheesy even if it’s a cool little bridge that sound like zombies or suited more to a horror movie.
This album is solid, I really am resistant to going in depth but I find at times I moderately enjoy a handful of songs but annoyed at a few others at the same time. With Garvey’s voice and the somber mood the album comes off as, some songs just didn’t bring it. A lot of the reviews discussed the lyricism involved but sometimes I don’t feel bothered to read the liner notes when I just can’t into the songs themselves.
Not a bad album in the least, above average but nothing amazing to me.
Rating: 3.5 out of 5.
There’s a lot to like musically in my opinion, it comes off as simplistic but I found a lot of the music to be subtly complex.
