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| Value for Money | 10/10 |
|---|---|
| Overall rating | 9/10 |
| V2, August 18, 2003, UPC: 5033197218120 |  | £5.47P&P: £1.46 |
| V2, November 03, 2003, UPC: 5033197218106 | | £17.98Free P&P |
Full review by
marcus001
expert review 
on 11th Apr 2004
User Rating : 9
Respect :
0
Good Points: Brilliant instrumentation Lovely lyrics/vocals
Bad Points: A few poor songs Unbalanced distribution of songs over the album length
General comments: After an original and impressive debut, 'Asleep in the back', Elbow have clearly made little attempt to adapt or morph their style into something they are not with this second contribution. And good for them, as the unenhanced, often grotesquely delicate approach that shaped their first LP has finally emerged in full bloom.
While some of the songs on 'Asleep In The Back' clearly had musical potential, I often found myself losing interest due to the band's insistance to record in such a lo-tech environment. If not better, the songs on 'Cast Of Thousands' are easily of the same quality, although (as was the case on the previous album) there are again a number of no-needers.
After their first attempt it would have been easy to make comparisons to the likes of Coldplay and Radiohead, but 'Cast of Thousands' seems for the first time to give us a true taste of what Elbow is really about. Like Coldplay, the band has arguably taken advantage of the technology now available to it on its second album - but unlike 'A Rush Of Blood To The Head', it has used this merely to strengthen its tepidly fragile nature, rather than distort and simplify it to the point of physical sickness.
'Ribcage' is the obvious opener. On first listen, the drums seem almost ugly in their starkness, but clearly mirror the subject matter of the song - resounding like a raw and flesh-embedded ribcage torn open for the first time to face the elements. The addition of the gospel choir shows immediately a change in direction - perhaps to the more vocally experimental?
'Fallen Angel' is reminiscent of Pink Floyd in some senses - the distorted bass line drives the song along from start to finish. However, the composition is comparatively simple and leaves little to be discovered for future listens - one of the few indications that the band might have caught a mild form of Coldplay-itis on tour, giving way to laziness and writing songs with an ungainly simplicity.
These suspicions are, however, entirely blown apart with one listen to 'Fugitive Motel'. The strings dominate the song, but do not sound fake or out of place as in many Blur or Feeder recordings - rather 'just another instrument'. The beautiful drumming and guitar work makes this perhaps the best song Elbow have recorded to date.
Having experienced this, Snooks (Progress Report) brings you back down to earth, not being anything particulary special. The instrumentation, however, is original and creative - the sudden snarling rush of deafening tinny guitars invades the speakers at some points in a similar manner to some of the more experimental 'Asleep In The Back' tunes.
The following two songs can only be described as stunners. 'Switching Off' manages to be beautiful yet subtly experimental, with a flurry of organ sounds and synthesisers not unlike 'Any Day Now', whereas in stark contrast 'Not A Job' reminds me of U2 or The Police, but in a more mellowed and delicate composition - with a synthesised guitar sound to die for in the chorus. These two easily contend with 'Fugitive Motel' for the 'best song on the album' slot.
So, 10/10 for the first half of the album. But, as was the case in their previous LP, the quality of the songs trails off from here onwards, ensnaring the listener in a web of monotonous (if funky) acoustic and electric vibrations.
'I've Got Your Number' and 'Buttons And Zips' both become catchy and hummable after a couple of listens, but they are barely anything more than that - opaque, one-dimensional tunes with little true clout.
'Crawling With Idiot' just shouldn't have been included - it disappears from your head the moment you stop listening (which may well be while the song is still playing), and really just adds nothing at all to the album.
If you're still awake by this time, 'Grace Under Pressure' may give you a refreshing lift - the way it builds up is rewarding, fizzling out with the sound of a raucous Glastonbury crowd on loop.
'Flying Dream' is really just a bit of a 'cool-down' track - the band has clearly not chosen to finish on a high. In a way, this is quite representative of the album as a whole - genius emerges in some places, only to be supressed by banality elsewhere.
However, the good by far outweighs the bad - this album is well worth a purchase (and 9/10), if only for the first half of pure raw emotion.
In many ways, I am disgusted by the lack of publicity which Elbow have received - especially for this album. Where mediocre bands like The Strokes achieve worldwide fame, these guys tend to struggle just to sell a few copies here and there. However, I can equally see why - ultimately, if your music is this quiet and light, you're not going to be noticed unless you're Coldplay.
marcus001's review and ratings | 824 words
ElbowTracklisting: 1. Ribcage2. Fallen Angel3. Fugitive Motel4. Snooks (Progress Report)5. Switching Off6. Not A Job 7. I&; 039;ve Got Your Number8. Buttons And Zips9. Crawling With Idiot10. Grace Un More...
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