Review - Elbow

Elbow
The Take Off and Landing of Everything

Guy Garvey is unquestionably one of the best lyricists this country has produced.  "The way the day begins / Decides the shade of everything / But the way it ends depends on if you're home / For every soul a pillow and a window please / In a modern room / Where folk are nice to Yoko" - Garvey belongs in the same category as Joanna Newsom and Bill Callahan, among those few who write lyrics that can be read as poetry. His lyrics are similar to fellow Manc song-poet Morrissey in their everydayness, but without the melancholy or the arch wit - rather, Garvey's literary voice (much like his singing voice) is warmer, less distant.

As far as the music goes, it's the same thing we've come to expect from Elbow. Somewhere between Radiohead and Coldplay, it lacks the experimentation of the former but avoids the unbearable blandness of the latter - these are tunes with soul. Basically, this album is another Elbow release - quality music and fantastic lyrics by one of the best songwriters of his generation.

Rating: 9/10