The ‘Seldom Seen’ Elbow
For reasons unknown, America seems to be behind when it comes to discovering raw musical talent. In a lot of cases, these gems come all the way from across the pond—they receive critical acclaim from their home countries, but in America, no one even knows they exist.
And so, I’ve decided to profile a few of these bands every couple of weeks. Today I’m focusing on a not-so-new band called Elbow.
Elbow is an English alternative rock band formed in 1990 with all of its original members still involved today, including lead vocalist and lyricist Guy Garvey, guitarist Mark Potter, keyboardist Craig Potter, bassist Pete Turner and drummer Richard Jupp.
What’s special about this band is despite their critical endorsement from top critics and bands like Radiohead, U2, Blur and R.E.M., Elbow have yet to gain a mass following, especially here in the States.
Their latest and fourth full-length record, “The Seldom Seen Kid” released in 2008, features traditional Elbow style—poetic lyrics supported with bursts of piano, strings and accents of guitars and horns. Garvey’s voice works well with the group and offers a soft, yet gravel tone which sounds retro without trying too hard.
This music is not what you’d call ‘catchy’ but it does offer a unique twist on today’s mainstream hits. While this subdued rock may not be for everyone, they must be doing something right—last year the band won the prestigious Mercury Prize, an award which recognizes the best artists and albums from of the United Kingdom and Ireland. Past nominees include U2, Muse, Coldplay and the Prodigy.
Sample lyrics from their song “Bones of You” off of “The Seldom Seen Kid”:
Do I have time? A man of my caliber
Stood in the street like a sleepwalking teenager
No.
And I dealt with this years ago
I took a hammer to every memento
But image on image like beads on a rosary
pulled through my head as the music takes hold
and the sickener hits; I can work till I break
but I love the bones of you
That, I will never escape
Fun Band Fact: The band’s name comes from a line from the BBC-TV mini-series “The Singing Detective.” Apparently a character claims the word “elbow” is the most sensuous word in the English language because of how it feels to say it.
Unrelated Tangent: It really is impossible to lick your elbow (I’ve tried).
Check them out for yourself and see what you think. See the video for their first single Grounds for Divorce here.
Know of any good under-the-radar bands that you think (MU)SE should feature? Email me your ideas and you might just see them in my next blog.
Tags: elbow, England, mercury prize, muse, radiohead, the prodigy, u2
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