"I'll be the corpse in your bathroom... useless." I can't count how many times I've listened to the song Newborn on Elbow's debut album, but that first line always catches me. It seems like such a bizarre phrase, but Guy Garvey always makes it work. Somehow.
At the time the album was released, this band was slammed with a number of comparisons: Radiohead, Coldplay, Starsailor, etc., etc. Now, these bands don't all sound the same, but Asleep... doesn't exactly play by the rules either, so ignore any of these comparisons that you might have previously heard/read. The (deserving) Mercury Prize nomination tells me that not all of the critics were so short sighted.
The tracks can be heavily backed by layers of instruments and vocals (Any Day Now), or sparsely arranged (Scattered Black and Whites); the song can almost drift along through the air (Powder Blue), or it can slam right into you (Bitten by the Tailfly). Lyrically, the band has put together some really great lines from start to finish. The band has also released a number of actual singles from this album, complete with b-sides which ranged from okay to incredible; these were obviously very successful sessions for this new group.
Speaking of alternate versions and such, if you have heard (or find) a copy of Newborn, make sure it's the full length (album) version of the track. The band release a short version of it for radio play, but the ~7.5 minute version is far superior.
| Recommended track(s): | Powder Blue; Newborn; Scattered Black and Whites |
| Worth another listen? | Yes! |
| Overall rating: | Four Stars |
No comments:
Post a Comment