Elbow

Cast of Thousands (V2)
by Tim Den

I don’t think I’ve ever tried this hard to like a band. Elbow are from Manchester and sound like it: Moody, creepily tranquil, painfully resigned, full of joy and paranoia… So why do I still not give two shits about them? Much has been made of the supposed differences between Cast of Thousands and the band’s debut, Asleep in the Back, but to my ears, it’s more of the same go-nowhere songs that possess all the right characteristics without knowing what to do with ’em. So the vocals to opener “Ribcage” were recorded with a throat mic. Yippie. The song still limps along like a zombified Doves b-side. All show, no story is (again) the name of Elbow’s game.
(14 E. 4th St. New York, NY 10012)