Since Elbow’s formation in 1997, the Mancunian group fronted by Guy Garvey have been a mainstay on the UK indie/alternative scene, releasing eight albums to mostly high levels of acclaim. They won the Mercury Prize in 2008 for what is quite possibly their best known record The Seldom Seen Kid. Elbow also won Best British Group at the 2009 Brits, fresh off the monumental success of that record.
It was a bright spot in popularity, but Elbow have never been far from public consciousness. Performing at the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics and composing the BBC’s theme for the event First Steps, Elbow also performed the John Lewis Christmas theme in 2017 with a cover of The Beatles’ 'Golden Slumbers'. It is surprising, for a group who have achieved such success, that it took until their sixth album - 2014’s The Take Off And Landing Of Everything - to get a number one album in the UK (although they have made up for that as the two albums since have also peaked at #1).
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How have Elbow managed to keep themselves relevant at a point when indie and guitar music has supposedly been on the decline for a number of years? Well, you can probably tell an Elbow tune when the vocals kick in, such is the distinctive and warm tone of Garvey’s voice, though it would be hard to pin down a particular style across all of Elbow’s records. Earlier records, from their debut Asleep In The Back through 2005’s Leaders Of The Free World, had a heavier almost grunge-like sound in places. It is the balance between more mellow stripped-back tunes and heavier moments like 'Grounds For Divorce', 'Station Approach' and 'Dexter & Sinister' (from the most recent record Giants Of All Sizes) that sets Elbow apart and make them a group that can appeal to multiple demographics and moods.
Heavily inspired by Radiohead, Guy Garvey has remarked that there would be no Elbow without Thom Yorke and co. Elbow have never gone as far as making their own In Rainbows or Kid A, but it’s clear that records like The Bends and OK Computer did heavily influence their work. Far from being a Radiohead carbon copy, Elbow have managed to take their influences to forge their own distinct sound that is quite dissimilar to many other groups that emerged in the post-Britpop era of the late '90s and early '00s. Other acts to have influenced Elbow are The Velvet Underground and U2, with elements of this evident throughout their career.
The stretch from The Seldom Seen Kid to build a rocket boys! helped to catapult the group to stardom and perhaps offers the widest range of Elbow styles with a fair share of ballads and festival sing-alongs (of course led by 'One Day Like This'), but also with softer, more introspective moments and shifts in style thrown in. build a rocket boys! opener 'the birds' is almost a prog-rock epic 8-minute track, followed swiftly by the piano and vocal driven 'lippy kids'.
Records like Little Fictions and The Take Off And Landing Of Everything are perhaps more understated and mellow than some of the group's earliest work but this allows listeners to fully appreciate the range of styles the group are capable of and ensure each record has its own distinctive feel. The Take Off And Landing Of Everything has some of the group's most beautiful tracks and is a fantastic all-round showcase for Elbow's musicianship and Garvey’s lyrical wit, particularly on 'New York Morning' with lines like “it’s the modern Rome and folk are nice to Yoko”.
Giants Of All Sizes sounds so far removed from the two records that preceded it that it could almost have come from a different band, with Garvey’s vocals adapting to the changing styles perfectly. The dark and heavy 'Dexter & Sinister' is far more raw than some of their recent work but there are still lighter moments to be found like 'On Deronda Road' and 'The Delayed 3.15', both stripped-back acoustic tracks. This shows the breadth of styles the group are capable of, never content to fall into one category.
Asleep In The Back - twenty years old this week - feels remarkably fully fledged as a debut and slots very well into Elbow’s body of work, showing glimpses of the more mature songwriting and departure in style they would employ to great effect on later records but finding them in a more youthful, raw and energetic mood. As this record celebrates its 20th anniversary it still resonates and acts as a fine jumping off point for those unfamiliar with Elbow’s work. For those perhaps wanting to see what the hype is all about though, The Seldom Seen Kid, build a rocket boys! and The Take Off And Landing Of Everything probably find the group covering the widest range of styles.
With their debut now 20 years old, Elbow show no signs of slowing down, having had a productive period in lockdown releasing ElbowRooms, which featured weekly recordings of fan favourites. Last year they also released the live album Live At The Ritz - an acoustic performance. These albums should help tide fans over until we get a taste of the group’s ninth studio album, and when concerts return we can expect to see the group as a regular face. Plus, we shouldn’t rule out further side projects like Garvey’s acclaimed solo debut from 2015 Courting The Squall...
To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Asleep In The Back, elbow are releasing a collection of rare tracks & live recordings. Listen here.
