ELBO
The Take Off And Landing
Of Everything
(Fiction/Concord)
It wasn't the band's name but the title of
Elbow's debut, Asleep In The Back, that forecasted their music. More than a decade in,
it's a given that The Take Off . . . will be
restive easy listening, disquieted by road
noise, subtle tempo changes, and frontman
Guy Garvey's tossing and turning. Opener
"This Blue World" couldn't be more indicative: its otherwise soothing, conjunct
melody is coupled with the sensation that
everything is up against the microphones
like someone whispering too loudly in
your ear. Having been at this so long,
tracks like "Real Life" feel routine, and the
"unexpected" clang of over-reverbed guitar
often arrives on cue. Appropriately, however, Elbow don't seem to be quite at their
peak, and won't chance deep sleep until
after they've fully arrived.
- Steve Forstneger
6
Appearing: 5/19 at House Of Blues
NO RESPECT
WAYNE KRAMER
Lexington
CHEVELLE
La Gargola
(Epic)
It's hard to believe that after 25 years of
releasing music under big labels, touring
the world, making the