When I heard Elbow's "The Seldom Seen Kid" I was convinced I wouldnt hear a better album all year. I may now have to revise that opinion because this album is simply breathtaking.
Swooping vocals, irresistable melodies, layered arrangements and (finally) a lyricist to match Morrisey for kitchen sink melodrama tinged with ambiguous sexual yearning. The falsetto vocals may not be to everyones taste but its not just this that stands this band head and shoulders above their contempories. Its the sheer bravado this band have, at points it sounds like the songs will collapse under the weight of disparate ideas. But, thrillingly, they have the talent to come back from the brink. Its a roller coaster ride that mocks tired guitar bands following the Coldplay blueprint. There are more ideas in the first track than Coldplay, Keane and Snow Patrol have mustered in their entire output to date.
I rarely get excited by new music nowadays but I cant praise this excellent album enough. Dive in.