Elbow: Guy Garvey (vocals); Mark Potter (guitars); Craig Potter (keyboards); Pete Turner (bass guitar); Richard Jupp (drums).
Seemingly incapable of making a lackluster record, the revered U.K. rock band Elbow knocks another one out of the park with its fourth full-length outing, THE SELDOM SEEN KID. Once again working the dreariness of its native Manchester into melancholy majesty, frontman Guy Garvey and the lads stomp through the gritty "Grounds for Divorce," while "The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver" reveals the group's subdued side, and "The Fix" conjures a dark mood that is furthered by guest vocalist Richard Hawley. A thoughtful and dynamic act wholly deserving of a bigger American audience, Elbow has crafted one of the best albums of early 2008 with THE SELDOM SEEN KID.

Spin (p.108) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "Nicer than Pulp, less sappy than Coldplay, Elbow excel at meticulous orchestral pop that doesn't take itself too seriously."
Spin (p.51) - Ranked #11 in Spin's "40 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "Always dramatic and occasionally sweet, it's music designed for dark whiskey and wool suits."
Q (Magazine) (p.114) - 4 stars out of 5 -- "[T]hese songs refuse to trade in emotional certainties....They're still burning brightly: slowly, maybe, but stronger than ever."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.69) - Ranked #23 in Mojo's "The 50 Best Albums Of 2008" -- "SELDOM SEEN brought a romantic optimism to Elbow's poignancy.."
Clash (magazine) (p.69) - Ranked #6 in Clash's "The 40 Best Albums of 2008" -- "[G]randiose yet grounded, soaringly beautiful yet subtly beguiling -- a sky-scraping tour de force of an album."
The Word (magazine) (p.98) - "THE SELDOM SEEN KID is a quiet triumph, poised between joy and heartbreak, revelling in the everyday and full of a sense of being made far, far away..."