Elbow - Leaders Of theFree World

Fri 28th Oct, 2005 in Music Reviews

Manchester’s own and beloved Elbow have been playing music together for about 14 years but this is only the third long player to be released by what I believe to be one of the greatest bands to emerge from the British rock scene in quite sometime. Elbow construct heartbreaking and moving stories which twist and turn before evolving into musical brilliance through their use of the traditional ‘quietly spoken word verse’ which then crashes headlong into some of the most gorgeous and anthemic chorus lines that I’ve heard in a while.

Leaders Of The Free World is Elbow’s third album following 2001’s critically acclaimed debut, Asleep In the Back, which was put up and then nominated for the prestigious Mercury prize in the same year. With classic songs ranging from Any Day Now, Powder Blue, Don’t Mix Your Drinks and the awesome Newborn which builds to one of the finest crescendo’s ever heard, this side of Texas – the sound of Elbow went straight to my heart and I haven’t let go yet.

After signing on with V2 Records International in their debut year, Elbow went on to travel the world with extensive tours taking in majestic cities all throughout Europe, the US, Canada and their homeland, the United Kingdom. 2003 went along way to stamping Elbow’s musical credibility and proving to the musical pundits out there that the notion of the ‘difficult second album’ was just a misnomer reserved only for those bands who really just winged it on their first recording and couldn’t back up their previous efforts.

This was certainly not the case for Elbow who turned out the magnificently brooding Cast Of Thousands to further critical acclaim, and may or may not have inspired Australia’s disgraced former cycling Olympian Gary Neiwand’s actions of late;

“We blew the doors didn’t we?
Pissed in their champagne
And did a real thing didn’t we?
Gave ourselves a name,”

as Elbow’s wordsmith Guy Garvey lets loose (on Ribcage) with one of his usual barrages.

Now let’s get onto 2005’s Leaders Of The Free World – an album which is referential in part to the US Government but mostly about Guy Garvey’s observations of the world around him on the road, of his hometown in Manchester, of women, of drinking and getting drunk, and finally waking up and doing it all over again. On An Imagined Affair Garvey explains,

”...While sitting in a bar, spilling in a bar
I drink until the doorman is a Christmas Tree
And my speech is just a gas leak.”

The boy’s just got a way with words hasn’t he?

With the recording of Leaders Of The Free World taking shape in their hometown of Manchester (Blueprint Studios) at the end of 2004, Elbow would draw upon their previously textured dark and visceral pop/rock melodies, to again transform this new batch of musical numbers into something even more beautiful and grandiose than ever before.

Guy Garvey has formed into one of the strongest and most interesting songwriters to emerge from England since the beginning of 2000 – easily beating out the UK’s finest exponents of 21st century melancholy, Coldplay’s Chris Martin, the Doves, Bloc Party and Snow Patrol by a country mile with his outstanding song structures complete with ethereal harmonies and backing band of musician’s who give the Elbow front man every opportunity to shine on through, with his poignant and poetic lyrics.

Picky Bugger is a brilliant number with its creeping guitar plucks and Kraftwerk-esque drum beats and blurts easing the tune into Garvey’s refined hollering,

“Drinking
In order to feel
Thinking
Reinventing the wheel
Kicking up mischief
And feeding the fire,”

which explains or more reiterates the big man’s battle with the bottle. (Garvey explaining on the Elbow website, in relation to the meaning of the song; “Picky Bugger – Preaching what I most need to learn. A cautionary tale about excessive partying.”)

Forget Myself and Stops are typical Elbow tunes with their moody yet uplifting freedom and musical prowess floating through the five minute songs, with all the relative ease that we’ve come to expect from such masters of melancholy. One can hear traces of Ireland’s The Frames hitting it out with Scotland’s Beta Band as Elbow keep the spirit of their luminaries alive in terms of the originality, emotion and eclectic nature shown by the aforementioned acts over the years.

The title track Leaders Of The Free World is a true classic and finds buzzing guitars hovering menacingly overhead an aggressive lyrical barrage directed towards George W – in respect to his new found world dominance.

“But the leaders of the free world
Are just little boys throwing stones … passing the gun from Father to Feckless son
We’re climbing a landslide where only the good die young.”

Garvey explains the song; “Leaders of the Free World – I saw footage of Bush Senior and Junior when the latter was voted in for his second term. George W was all but shrugging his dad off and hogging the attention and I could suddenly see him as an eight year old. A spoilt, nasty, selfish little shit for brains. He’s officially the most powerful man in history.” Scary stuff I know!

With Mexican Standoff being as good as any Radiohead song ever, complete with El Mariachi hand claps and driving bass sounds – Elbow just continue to exceed and enhance their magnificent reputation. Another corker of an album from Elbow and on a level playing field with this years Frames release, Burn the Maps – unbelievably intoxicating stuff here folks.