Seldom Seen Kid by Elbow

Elbow’s fourth album shouldn’t have happened. Dropped by their label, producing themselves, and four albums into a twenty year career that had only really begun to happen this decade, it came out without much in the way of expectation, but by the time it had shortlisted and won the Mercury Music Prize Elbow had gone up a notch in popularity, a stadium band, who were also seen as national treasures.

Guy Garvey’s down-to-earth Bury persona is part of this, but Garvey has always worn his heart on his sleeve lyrically, and with this album being a tribute to a dead friend, that honesty reached its apex with their fourth album. Always less than content with the short form pop song, their albums are integrated works, which still manage to have the odd radio hit on them – in this case, the song that the BBC chose to soundtrack the Olympics, the euphoric, One Day Like This, possibly the most conventionally structured song of their career.

Yet its Garvey’s world weary vocals, and the ever varied sonic palate that makes this album in particular so resonate with the times. It seems now that Elbow, four albums in, are the honesty and soul of the decade’s British music.

Lost Souls by Doves

Though it was shortlisted for the Mercury Prize, Manchester-based Doves’ debut seems curious in retrospect. Released in April 2000, Lost Souls was long awaited locally, following on from the 3 EPs/singles that had preceded it. Here it comes and particularly the epic The Cedar Room remain highlights of the album, as well as their first great melody, Catch the Sun.

Elsewhere the album’s very tentative – a sign of a band that is mingling their rave past (they used to be Sub-Sub) and a desire to become an anthemic guitar band. There’s a naive psychedelia about much of the album. At their best they hint at the euphoria that would dominate their best known works, on the 3 other albums that they’d release during the decade. An album of their live show, it primarily fillets their existing single releases for the best songs – yet they are only just beginning to try the kind of anthemic rock that would be one of the most successful forms of the decade.

In many ways its the model that New Order had always followed, though leaning heavier on the guitars, as New Order would do themselves in the following year’s Get Ready comeback album.

Singer Jimi Goodwin’s vocals aren’t at their best on this album, he, like the rest of the band seems to be still finding their feet. The dour, dark Factory Records style cover doesn’t help either – and it was only with the following album, the Last Broadcast that the band really came into its own, their always invigorating live presence making it onto record. Like Elbow, who came around at the same time, there’s an element of being a post-Radiohead band, but whereas Elbow’s introspection is often heartbreaking, Doves remain partially on the dancefloor. Here it comes and in particular Catch the Sun are euphoric anthems for a post-rave generation that still wants to go to gigs.