About Time

It's seven years since I started uni and began with my musical education (bollocks to International Business Management, who really cared about that?!) Flush with the newfound wealth of a student loan and what I assumed was a bottomless overdraft, I decided to go to as many gigs as I could, and take chances on albums I'd never heard. Consequently, some time towards the end of 2001, I read a few positive reviews of 'Asleep in the Back' by Elbow, and took a punt on it. Not long after, they blew me away in the Basement of Newcastle Uni (my first proper gig, notwithstanding those headlined by chart-topping bands at that giant cowshed by the Redheugh).

Since then, they've been the model of a 'critically acclaimed' band (Sorry, I hate that term. It's just lazy). They're now on their fourth album, each of which has been reliably brilliant. None of them have quite got me like Asleep in the Back did, but nothing this good ever has the same impact as it does the first time round.

You can almost set your watch by what you'll get from each new Elbow album. Killer lines you can steal on Valentines day? Yep. Mordant wit? Definitely. Surprising groove underpinning a couple of songs? Of course. Killer first single? Almost always. Knee-weakening bellowing from Guy? You knows it.

That's not to say that this is a boring band. Far from it. Knowing what to expect from a band doesn't make them dull. The fact of the matter is that Elbow are one of our warmest, most rewarding bands, especially in the live arena where Guy's voice can really get under your skin.

In a just world, they would be treasured by the record-buying public. But we all know that it isn't quality which dictates what sells, just as we know that the record-buying public (or what remains of them) are, for the most part, idiots.

So Elbow have been perpetually just below the radar. Big by the standards of picky buggers like me, small by the standards of Arena bands like Keaneplay and Embrace Patrol. Whether winning the Mercury Music Prize is their 'big push' remains to be seen, and it's pretty irrelevant anyway. What is good about their victory is the simple matter of public recognition. People talk about awards and chart positions and the like meaning nothing, and that's true when the winner is somebody shit. However, when it's a band like Elbow who've been quietly and effectively punching us in the chests for over a decade, it's heartwarming to hear an acceptance speech that goes,

"This is quite literally the best thing that's ever happened to us. I know I'm supposed to say something cool, but it's literally the best thing that has happened."

It's been argued that the Mercury can be the kiss of death for bands, but no band is less likely to have their heads turned by something like this than Elbow. It's also been argued that their victory is unjustified as the Mercury is meant to reward innovation, but that's pretty churlish. Far better Elbow win it than some tuneless fuckers with a rave fixation.

I've uploaded two of my favourite Elbow songs for your enjoyment:

Grounds for Divorce (from The Seldom Seen Kid)

Any Day Now (from Asleep in the Back)

You! Me! Dancing!

So Los Campesinos! appear to have done a Hear'Say (I never thought I'd say that!) and announced that their second album ('We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed') will follow their first by a mere matter of months. It's come as a bit of a surprise to me that they've got a new record ready so fast, but it's welcome news. (Especially given that my copy of their debut 'Hold on Now, Youngster' is going to wear out before too long.)

I was super-excited about this but also a touch nervous. How the fuck could they better the first one? Of all the albums I've bought in the last year, I come back to HON,Y far more than any other. I've always been a sucker for well-executed pop music, but when the lyrics are as sharp as this, then I'm clearly going to be totally snared. I mean, come on, how can anyone top,

'I'm not Bonnie Tyler, I'm not Toni Braxton, and this song is not gonna save your relationship. Oh no...Shit!'

I love that they pay little heed to the frankly trivial matter of making words fit within the boundaries of the music (thanks, Mr Malkmus!) On top of that, their titles are catchier than some bands' songs (thanks, Mr Morrissey!). Case in point: 'This is How You Spell, Hahaha, We Destroyed the Hopes and Dreams of a Generation of Faux-Romantics'.

There've been one or two grumblings in the past about the vocals (Gareth's voice might grate on a less friendly ear than mine, and Aleksandra's voice, while pretty, isn't strong). The lo-fi production has been accused of making the guitars sound a little anaemic, but these are positives to me. It's a messy record, which you might expect from a band who namecheck Pavement, but it suits. I love the Blood Red Shoes album, but that's perhaps a bit more polished than it should be, and it suffers slightly for it. Hold On Now, Youngster is nice reminder that brilliant pop can still sound slack.

It's difficult to know whether we'll be looking back on this in years to come as their best piece of work, or whether Los Campesinos! can go on to bigger and better things, but I'm pretty hopeful for the new one.

I've listened to it twice now, and the early signs are that they haven't simply taken the easy way out by trying to rehash their first album. Going back to Gareth's voice, it sounds a bit less snotty, and there's one or two welcome bits of experimentation on the album (see 'Heartswells / Pacific Daylight Time', which reminds me a bit of Broken Social Scene).

The positive elements of the first record are, thankfully, all still there. Given the short space of time since HON,Y, it's not surprising, but it still sounds reassuringly like Los Campesinos! particularly with the lovely use of violins.

The lyrics are still their major strength, and I think my favourite so far comes from 'It's Never That Easy, Though, is it? (Song For the Other Kurt)',

'I walked into the room to see my ex-girlfriend - who by the way I'm still in love with - sucking the face of some pretty boy, with my favourite band's most popular song in the background. Is it wrong that I can't decide which bothers me most?'

Ultimately, I think the main reason I love Los Campesinos! as much as I do is that they are a band who are obsessed with bands. The indie snob in me likes nothing better than to play spot-the-reference. Mix that with the headrush of guitars and it's a total winner.

Anyway, here's a sample of LC! old and new:

Sweet Dreams Sweet Cheeks (From 'Hold On Now, Youngster')

Miserabilia (Opening track to 'We Are Beautiful, We Are Doomed')