Elbow win Mercury Music Prize
I was pleased when I saw that Elbow was nominated for the Mercury Prize. Despite the band’s consistent critical acclaim, they have never been able to break into the mainstream. I went to see them at the Leeds Met Union earlier this year, and although it is a nice enough venue it seemed wholly inappropriate to the scale of the music. I felt privileged to have seen them at such an intimate venue, and suspect that will no longer be the norm for them.
Anyway - I didn’t really expect them to win the Mercury Prize, but, through their latest album, The Seldom Seen Kid, they have. If you’re just discovering the band, now is a great time to start listening. Below are my recommendations on where to start. I’ve also made a last.fm playlist, from where you should be able to play all of these for free.
Without a doubt, my favourite track on that album is Grounds for Divorce; it’s gritty, noisy: fantastic fun. Also excellent is The Bones Of You. If you want a more ‘tender’ song, both Mirrorball and The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver are achingly beautiful.
From earlier albums highlights include Great Expectations and The Leaders Of The Free World (from the album of the same name). Going back to 2001, Newborn manages to be a real treat for the ears, and touchingly warm, despite having the opening line “I’ll be the corpse in your bathtub”.
The band has a rich and varied back-catalogue; this is only a flavour of what’s available. Go check them out!
