It may well have been album number 4 (The Seldom Seen Kid) that won them the Mercury Prize and brought them to a wider audience, but for me this remarkable debut remains their masterpiece. It's dark, haunting, hypnotic and uplifting.
The bonus material, while not essential, is a most intriguing listen too.
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Up until last years' magnificent The Seldom Seen Kid Bury's Elbow were one of the most underrated bands in both the UK and probably on the planet. They have always had the ability to make music which is meaningful and disturbing at the same time. Some of the songs make you feel uncomfortable, with lyrics like "I'll be the corpse in your bathtub...useless".
Guy Garvey has such a wonderful voice, able to whisper and scream lyrics in the same song, and give the feeling as if he really means it. Seeing them recently perform live, it is physically difficult not to break down in tears to some of the songs, such is the emotion which is poured into each and every number.
I bought this album on the day if its original release, and have followed Elbow since, but personally do not think they matched this until last years' release, in terms of the range of emotions portrayed through their music. They are not a one trick pony though - whilst many of the songs are dark, the music is not always soft; Elbow are able to make a noise to match the best of them, and it is an album which warrants being played from start to end turned up very loud.
This is a welcome re-release, and thank you Amazon for managing to get it to me a week prior to official release (!), as it means I have been able to listen to it time and time again, now with the addition of the Noisebox EP, together with live tracks and a Session recorded for Radio 1 and the excellent DVD containing Videos from the songs. The early comparisons with Radiohead are a little bizarre; I would not class them as similar, however Joy Division influences are obvious, particularly in lyrical content (not so much in the music), but maybe that's just the Manchester influence. At the time, comparisons were drawn to both Badly Drawn Boy and Doves. The latter is probably the most similar, particularly on their début album.
A dark album, full of the frustrations of life which effect us all at some point, and even though Guy is singing from his heart, the songs have a strange resonance with me. I find this wonderful listening, and would probably rate above the Seldom Seen Kid in my list of favourite albums of all time.
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