Gareth - 5/29/2012

Elbow have been playing together for over twenty years but have only released five studio albums, the first album named 'Asleep in the Back', released in 2001. They followed this with the release of 'Cast of Thousands' in 2003 and 2005's 'Leaders of the Free World'.

The seminal turning point for Elbow came in 2008 when 'The Seldom Seen Kid' won the Mercury Music Prize and brought Elbow to a whole new audience. This leads us to their current album 'Build a Rocket Boys'. This could have been the easiest album to write. They could have written an album that sounded like the biggest hit from the last album 'On a Day Like This' and it would have been a success.

However Elbow chose to craft eleven individual songs. At the time this album was written Guy Garvey had recently returned to his home town to live which shows in the writing, with its apparent stories of youth, young love and friends

The opening song 'The Birds', speaks of young love and separation watched by the birds. 'Lippy Kids', a stand out track, starts "lippy kids on the corer again, lippy kids on the corner again, begin settling like crows" and goes on "do they know those days were golden, build a rocket boys" almost stating that when young you can aim for the sky. It also hints at the meeting of a girl with "you were a freshly painted angel, walking on walls, stealing booze and hour long hungry kisses and nobody knew me at home anymore" suggesting that his family never saw him once taking up with a young love.

The song 'with love' is one of six songs where Garvey is accompanied by the Halle' Youth Choir. To me, this song is about the building of memories for when you're old through the lines "when your dentures prevent your smile, these adventures will fill your eyes with love". Nestled in the middle of the album is a stripped back number 'Jesus is a Rochdale Girl', which builds, but in a low key way. 'Open Arms' is another beautiful song about someone returning home and the loved ones who await them, "So with finger rolls and folding chairs and a volley if streamers, we can be there for tweaks and repairs should you come back home".

It doesn't really matter what the words are to an Elbow song. The share beautifulness of the music and sound can create a soundtrack to a life and can pick you up when you need lifting and wrap around you when your low, if your happy it can make you smile and laugh and if you sad it could bring you to tears, here you can find what you want in the music and in the words. Words to often can be too easily interpreted, but here, these aren't just words or lyrics, these are poetry. There really is something for everyone and every emotion, a very emotive record.