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A lot of bands come
roaring out of the blocks full of youthful passion and claiming
to be, “in it for the long haul." They make a great debut album
and then stall or run out of gas. elbow have done it the
other way round. Not that they're exactly the Buena Vista Social
Club of rock'n'roll. But it took them ten years to write their
Mercury short listed debut album, “Asleep In The Back". Now on
new LP, “Cast of Thousands” and with a weight of experience
behind them that is surely unique for a band making only its
second album, they have come up with a record even more
adventurous and startling in its panoramic sweep and emotional
potency."' Asleep In the Back’ was the best of ten years work,
so there was no way we could do that again," says bassist Pete
Turner. "I think with the new album we've ended up with the same
sort of attention to detail and willingness to experiment. But
it was made in a pressure cooker, so it has a very different
vibe." The result is an album of powerfully melodic, tightly
structured songs but which, at the same time, is full of sonic
adventure and a momentum that moves elbow far beyond the
achievements of “Asleep In The Back"." On ‘Cast of Thousands’”,
we went looking for some new noises," as singer Guy Garvey puts
it. They found them as the core band (Garvey and Turner plus
drummer Richard Jupp, keyboard player Craig Potter and guitarist
Mark Potter ) are joined by a cast of thousands, including
members of fellow Manchester bands Doves and Alfie, the London
Community Gospel Choir, a string section and the entire crowd
at Glastonbury, memorably singing "we still believe in love, so
fuck you." It's a line that is emblematic of the new album. Love
wasn't a word that was used once on the first album. On “Cast of
Thousands” it appears 40 times in one song.
Visit the website for audio
tracks and more info at
http://www.elbow.co.uk/index.asp
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