This album is different to all of their others in that; it conveys a different mood.It contains songs that are more like "Coming Second" with that odd guitar part and "Little Beast". They have been before compared to Coldplay, but I think this album shows you that they most certainly are not Coldplay. Songs like "The Fix" that sounds like it should be in a cockney heist film just seem to be more powerful. I think that on other albums, songs could get lost in melody and forget the true meanings and passions that the song was trying to reflect - like "Red" or "Newborn" for example.
This album shows how they have progressed musically, and how Guy has matured lyrically and vocally. In an interview he stated that this album was "in the memory of a good friend of ours who passed away recently", hense the "Seldom Seen Kid". It is because of this that the album takes on a muck darker feeling. His lyrics have moved slightly away from the "love song" style to a more "Thom Yorke" kind of meaningfulness. Lines like "my friend grows his very own branches" and "charging around with a juggernaught brow" seem to posses more power and meaning than his past poems. He also sounds a lot more husky and well, old? I like it.
The band back him up well also, the Potters providing intertwining melodies that are truly astonishing. Turner seems to use his "fuzz" bass a lot more aswell on this album. I think this is to create that darker more evocative sense through the music.
Elbow are the only other band i know of apart from Radiohead who can dynamically change the music soo much. They can get 9, 10 parts all going at once and then just drop them to 1 orr 2. Its astonishing. Songs like "Starlings" for example. Theyve never been afraid to use brass and orchestras in songs which i think is absolutely brilliant.
Top Album - buy it!!
oh and im only 15 and this is my first reciew so dont be tooo harsh!! |
