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Album Details

• Artist: Elbow
• Album: Cast of Thousands
• Label: V2
• Year of Release: 2003
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2003-12-24

The new Elbow album opens up with an ambitious track called "Ribcage" which reminds me of what Jason Pierce was trying to do on the Spiritualized album Let It Come Down with the full gospel choir. You may or many not have heard of this Manchester quintet being on the North American shores but Elbow has become a fairly well known band in Europe. In fact, their debut, Asleep In The Back was even shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, one of the most esteemed music awards in the UK. Cast Of Thousands is an album that indeed has about one thousand people incorporated on it. It is as adventuresome as Let It Come Down and yet even more accessible. "Fugitive Motel" showcases Elbows dynamic capabilities. It is more the skills of lead singer Guy Garvey that end up under the microscope but it takes the whole band to get them there. While the band keeps things on the mellower side of things, they are still interesting. Take the possible snoozer, "Switching Off" that barely has a pulse. It still somehow keeps you glued to it throughout the 5 minute song. While Elbow has more charisma than a lot of British bands coming out, Cast Of Thousands is one of those albums that demands to be listened to on headphones, all alone. Garvey is capable of deep emotive singing so you have to pay close attention to his interesting voice. Where a band like Starsailer fails on so many levels, Elbow picks up where other bands aren't able to deliver and provide us with the goods worth buying.

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