Seldom Seen Kid

 

 

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Alcoholism, loneliness, a band's early formation, and most importantly: the thrill and fear of love, whether it's just starting or in full bloom.

Those threads run through Elbow's fourth album, "The Seldom Seen Kid," turning it into a brooding, mildly melancholy little affair -- very unlike their last album, I think. And it's also a sign of how polished and mature this Manchester band's music has become over time, with delicate little indiepop tunes full of keyboard blues and solid lyrics.

It opens with a cacophony of weird vocals and clashing keyboard sounds, only to fade away into a gentle, bluesy little indiepop melody filled with volcanic highs.

There's a lot of trickling piano and trembling sweeps of keyboard. Guy Garvey's rough voice sings a bittersweet little song about how he dreams of "you and I/And marriage in an orange grove," and how the girl he adores should "find a man that's truer than/Find a man that needs you more than I." After describing how he feels, he adds faintly, "Darling, is this love?"

I'd say yes, probably.

In case there is any doubt, we're then treated to the stormy catchiness of "Bones of You" ("I can work till I break/but I love the bones of you/That, I will never escape") and the exquisite violin-riddled ballad "Mirrorball" ("You make the moon a mirrorball/The streets an empty stage/The city's sirens, violins/Everything has changed"). It's all love, whether it's fearful, joyous or painful.

After that trio, things get a wee bit darker with the blurry bluesy "Grounds for Divorce," and the string of songs that follow -- suspenseful pianopop, warm smooth Britpop tunes, droning laments about being alone, a rollicking sunny little indiepop melody, and the ghostly piano-led "Some Riot."

And in the middle of it, they tack in "The Fix," which is probably the weirdest material Elbow has ever turned out. It sounds a bit like a visit to a harmless-yet-creepy carnival populated by ghosts, with a swirling chorus that sounds like something Tim Burton would create. I have no idea what the lyrics mean though ("The fix is in/The jockey is cocky and vicious").

Listening to an Elbow album is a little like revisiting a friend you haven't spoken to in awhile, and hearing how things have changed for them. Quite a bit has changed for Elbow -- their music here is a bit more mellow, more domesticated in style, and more reliant on a bluesy vibe as well as the usual Britpop guitars and drums.

In fact, their lush music is also heavily imbued with shimmering, chilly synth and keyboards, giving it a slightly otherworldly air. But the core of the music is no less alluring -- solid riffs that can be satiny-smooth, ringing or fuzzed-out, solid drums, and a gentle piano that trickles through most of the album. And some of the sweeter songs are draped in some lovely violins.

It certainly doesn't hurt that the solid lyrics have moments of pure poetry ("The violets explode inside me/when I meet your eyes/Then I'm spinning and I'm diving/Like a cloud of starlings"). Garvey's voice sounds very rough-edged at first, until you hear just how much emotion he can cram into his vocals -- he drawls, wails and murmurs, sounding melancholy all the time.

"The Seldom Seen Kid" adds a bluesier, more ghostly edge to Elbow's lush Britpop, without changing what made them such a great band. Definitely one of this year's must-hears.

Well, at last I have my summer song. Seems to be one every year and Elbow's "Grounds For Divorce" is the latest in a long line. SELDOM SEEN KID is a good, not great album, some nice hooks and the production and arrangements are first class in every sense. Not quite as charged and sonically vibrant as ASLEEP IN THE BACK but a solid effort from Elbow nonetheless. Check out some of their videos and live performances on YouTube and, more than that, download and read their lyrics. You'll be impressed by the intelligence and range of this group.

You will be hard pressed to find a more unique, charming, spirited, and at times, haunting record in the entire decade. Elbow has done away with convention and has written songs that perfectly match the mood they are trying to convey. These are songs that are meant to give you an insight into the life and plight of one man, but songs that you too are able to relate to at any given day in your own life.

Starlings starts off with a blast glorious horns to announce that you're about to trod down a path you've ne'er trodden before. It's a trip back to a simpler time where human connection was really all that life was founded upon. Bones of You shows you how easily Elbow is able to bend convention while maintaining their pop sensibilities with a 6/8 rhythm and some gorgeous guitar padding.

This get darker with tracks such as Grounds for Divorce and Some Riot, which to me are the standouts here. The former, about a loner, is as deep lyrically as it is musically. It grips you from its opening phrase, and draws you in with a heavy rhythm that doesn't relent throughout 3:39 timeline. Although unconventional, it's as close to a proper single as Elbow comes, with the exception of maybe 'One Day Like This', a glorious anthem-like track you can't help but want to sing along to. Some Riot, although dangerously dark, is perhaps the most beautiful thing Elbow have ever done with a gorgeous melody to go along with a near perfect vocal take.

Things can also get quite lovely, in a light, airy sort of way. Mirrorball and Lonliness of a Tower Crane Driver fall into this category, while songs like Fix, and Audience with the Pope go in an oddball, diabolical sort of direction.

Each song here flows very nicely into the other, and the overall strength is the production and the musicianship, which is absolutely top notch. In sonic terms, this album is a pure treat with so much going on at once, and yet, never overlapping or fighting for your ears attention. I can't get enough of this record, and every time I need to get inspired, I listen to it. It's that good. It's by no means a standard pop record, but it is a pop gem. Do yourself a favour and check it out, this one will stick around for a long while yet.

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