The Seldom Seen Kid

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid
Critic Score
Based on 24 reviews
2008 Ratings: #28 / 806
Year End Rank: #12
User Score
Based on 258 ratings
2008 Rank: #62
Liked by 27 people
March 17, 2008 / Release Date
LP / Format
Fiction, Polydor / Label
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CRITIC REVIEWS

100
The Skinny
An extraordinarily accomplished and thoroughly engaging piece of Mancunian songsmithery.
90
Drowned in Sound

The achievement of The Seldom Seen Kid is that Elbow manage to be both incredibly consistent and perpetually improving.

90
musicOMH

The Seldom Seen Kid keeps the band on this upward trajectory.

90
Gigwise
'The Seldom Seen Kid' is delicate, all consuming and fit to burst with subtle complexities that are anything but emotionally claustrophobic.
90
AllMusic

The Seldom Seen Kid is Elbow's most self-assured and enjoyable album so far.

90
NME

‘The Seldom Seen Kid’ is a stunning record, a career-best from a band whose consistency has seldom been matched by any British indie band this decade.

90
Under the Radar

The Seldom Seen Kid finds Elbow maturing into their sonic ambitions, adding a sorely missed depth to their ever-present innovation.

84
Time Out London
Throw petals in the air then to the sound of album opener, ‘Starlings’, a gentle serenade that sputters suddenly into life with gleeful blurts of brass. Similarly, gospel number ‘One Day Like This’ arrives like a frilled red Valentine, with its great swathes of strings and an invitation to fling open the curtains.
83
A.V. Club
As ever with Elbow, the album is too long, ever ready to make room for more lush melancholy. But beneath the superficial drabness and gloom is a band as diverse as any of its flashier contemporaries.
80
SPIN
Nicer than Pulp, less sappy than Coldplay, Elbow excel at meticulous orchestral pop that doesn't take itself too seriously.
80
Slant Magazine

Though the album’s most overt trait is tenderness, the hetero-waltz “The Fix” (featuring Richard Hawley on vocals) and the Zeppelin-esque “Grounds for Divorce” provide a certain masculine muscle, making The Seldom Seen Kid feel like a male sibling of the Cardigans’s equally exquisite Long Gone Before Daylight.

80
The Guardian
Elbow sound beautifully understated rather than underwhelming, less underachieving than desperately undervalued.
80
Uncut

The album works as whole – beginning with an eruptive blast of noise and ending with the gentle farewell that is “Friend Of Ours”.

80
NOW Magazine

The combo of ethereal prog rock and lead singer Guy Garvey’s hushed, careworn words couldn’t be finer than on mournful, horn-laden Weather To Fly, while sing-along stadium-ready cliché One Day Like This is the only discernible reminder of why I avoided them in the first place.

80
God Is in the TV
The album as a whole feels lush, well orchestrated, and as if the band have taken their sweet time about it, giving them the time to get exactly what they want. There's a wide range of influences at play, from jazz to blues, but the sound they have generated is all their own.
80
The Observer

Their fourth album picks up where 2005's Leaders of the Free World left off.

80
Q Magazine
Elbow have hardly stepped out of their comfort zone here, but then their comfort zone has always been oddly unsettling. They're still burning: slowly, maybe, but stronger than ever.
78
Pitchfork

Guy Garvey's got a great voice, and good thing, too. As Elbow have morphed from ambitious but sterile art-rockers to something slightly more visceral, his singing-- equal parts Peter Gabriel and Talk Talk's Mark Hollis-- has been one of the few elements linking the Manchester band's varied output. It's also what's helped Elbow stick out a bit from the choirboy pack of Chris Martin, guy from Keane, et al. At the same time it's not a very rock'n'roll voice,

which perhaps explains how, despite some degree of hype, Elbow have always fallen just shy of expectations.

70
PopMatters
It’s one that we can all get in on and enjoy, as Elbow has once again proved that it’s a band that’s looking forward and doing things in its own inimitable way.
60
Mojo
The bass-fuzz stomp and chain-gang holler of 'Grounds for Divorce' couldn't be more immediate, Guy Garvey refusing to let emotional intelligence blackball a decnt tune.
60
Evening Standard

This is the album's Achilles heel - too few memorable tunes. Those it does have border on beautiful, but there are not enough. And hits will forever elude those who skimp on the tunes.

58
Coke Machine Glow
If only you didn’t spoil these tender moments that seem to make my heart want to burst out my chest by goofing around all the time.
MaceBlade42
83

Really impressive album overall. Over time, this could gain a lot of popularity from me. It has such an interesting, unique feel compared to others like it. Absolutely incredible.

MagnoKacz
100

Very few albums are as astonishing as this. Guy Garvey earns his place here as one of the finest writers of the modern age.

Every track is personal and beautiful in a different way.  Whether it's heavy guitars and smashing drums or it's beautiful swelling orchestral numbers, you never feel bored with this album. The pain felt by Garvey is portrayed by his lyrics not through moaning and whining but by hope and optimism.

An underrated highlight of the album is the beautifully devestating ... read more

Felix_96
80

8/10

exceptional

Fav tracks: Starlings, The Bones of You, Mirrorball, Grounds for Divorce, An Audiance for the Pope, Weather to Fly, The Loneliness of a Town Crane Driver, The Fix, One Day Like This, Friend of Ours

BillyT_
100

I don't think I'll be able to write a review that fully encapsulates my feelings on this album, but damnit I'll try my best. Elbow are such a fantastic group, and are one of the bands that I accredit for me finding my love of music. I was introduced to them at a young age and, when I was properly getting my teeth stuck into this whole music thing, they were one of the first bands that I took a deep dive into. From that point, they cemented their place as a favourite band of mine, and, wow, am I ... read more

adelao
83

"Grounds for Divorce' is such a MASTERPIECE rock song <333333
.
Starlings 6,3
The Bones Of You 10 *_________*
Mirrorball 8,6
Grounds For Divorce 10 *_______________________________________*
An Audience With The Pope 7,0
Weather To Fly 6,4
The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver 6,7
The Fix (feat. Richard Hawley) 8,2
Some Riot 5,8
One Day Like This 10 *_____________*
Friend Of Ours 6,6
We're Away - Album Version - UK Bonus Track 5,7
Hotel Istanbul - Non-album track 7,5
Lullaby 6,7

ElisPlaylist
88

MERCURY PRIZE WINNERS DEEP DIVE (for @Legoshi): 2008
I am willing to excuse Elbow for winning the Mercury over In Rainbows, because I believe they managed to craft a pretty well written, well orchestrated and damn touching post-Britpop album, chockfull of songs to soundtrack the emotional coming-of-age indie film of your life

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