Elbow’s latest long player ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ doesn’t half know how to leave an impression. I was immediately smitten with the bipolar charms of ‘Starlings’, with its tremulous undercurrent and subsequent spikes of energy and a lyric and vocal that is suitably introspective and vulnerable. It’s an album closing track that appears at the beginning and marks out an epic trail to come.
‘The Bones of You’ finds Guy Garvey on fine form vocally and lyrically, erudite phrases seem to spill effortlessly from him on this track. There’s something decidedly pent up about some of the material on here. It feels like Garvey has been waiting for some time to let fly, but the wait has allowed this material to mature nicely. Listen to tracks like ‘Mirrorball’ and despite the gentility of the track the sense of grandeur continues with well proportioned strings and gentle acoustic flavourings.
The first single ‘Grounds For Divorce’ is the album’s big opening salvo reminiscent of ‘Leaders Of The Free World’ from the album’s predecessor. A bluesy low slung almost guttural slice of guitar pop with Garvey on caustic lyrical form. There are some almost light hearted moments of optimism though, notably on ‘An Audience With The Pope’ with its lyrical paean to devoted affection (bordering on obsession). Its all dressed in the clothing of a sixties spy thriller soundtrack and in some ways comes off like an over the top camp Bond theme.
‘Weather To Fly’ has a distinct lightness of touch and is probably the most whimsical piece on here, a reminiscent lyrical journey backwards and if anything a place setting to allow the more sombre offering of the leaden backed ‘The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver’. Another track filled with anthemic strings at its conclusion and dare I say it an almost spiritual bent that seems to exist in varying inflections towards the latter part of the album.
‘The Fix’ is nothing short of an oddity to be included in this collection (no bad thing mind you), a skewed little tale of rigging a win during a day at the races. It’s a cautious creeping track with an air of fun about it that you don’t find in such obvious measures elsewhere. The album closes very slowly winding down over the last three tracks with the almost cathartic release of ‘Some Riot’ which reads a little like a tear stained confessional, while ‘On A Day Like This’ has something of a more celebratory air and is drenched in a gorgeous suite of strings. It doesn’t last though, ‘Friend Of Ours’ is like the last bloke in the bar propping up the woodwork at closing time (in the pubs that still have those), beer drenched and melancholy with tobacco fingers. It’s a suitably quiet exit.
As an album lets cut to the chase, it’s very good. Garvey is on form lyrically and his voice might still have that care worn ragged quality but it suits him and his material to a tee. In one go the album isn’t necessarily the easiest to digest, although it’s not immediately easy to see, the material does loiter in the vein of similarity in places. But for goodness sake don’t let that minor quibble dissuade you. It’s all in place for a reason and coupled with the masterful production and the pleasing contrast of strings and Elbow’s oft ramshackle percussive/acoustic traits this really is a cracking find. ‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ is available from Fiction on March 17th.
