Album #140: Elbow - Build A Rocket Boys!

Elbow

Build a Rocket Boys! (2011)

The first time I heard Lancastrian indie rockers Elbow, I didn't even know it was Elbow. A song was played on Triple J, and the vocalist sounded eerily like Peter Gabriel - so eerily like that I actually thought it was Peter Gabriel.

"Hey cool!" I thought. "I don't know this Peter Gabriel song!"

Going home to Google, I typed in a fragment of lyrics ("There's a hole in my neighbourhood/Down which of late I cannot help but fall") and found out that it wasn't a Peter Gabriel song. It had nothing to do with Peter Gabriel. It was Grounds For Divorce by Elbow. (Though I was later to find out that not only was Gabriel the idol of lead singer Guy Garvey, but that Garvey had, on occasion, sought out Gabriel's advice on music - as he did during the recording of Build A Rocket Boys!).

My interest piqued, I grabbed their album The Seldom Seen Kid and was hooked. So when followup Build a Rocket Boys!  was released in 2011, I just had to purchase it. As it's one of my favourite albums of the past few years, today's review will be more of an explanation to why I enjoy it so much.

The Album

Through its eleven tracks, Build a Rocket Boys! manages to tell a series of vignettes that deal with life and its many stages; youth, relationships (both the start and the end of them), broken hearts and even the inevitability of time defeating us all. This is done through some emotionally wrenching compositions, where musical space is paramount. Tying it all together is Garvey, whose lyrics paint the most remarkable watercolour images in the mind; and his vocals, with that now familiar Gabrielesque husk, alternate from painfully heart-tearing to an enthralling soar, without neglecting the space inbetween.

The brilliant The Birds opens the album in slow burning fashion; a guitar motif accompanied by a simple rhythm section, and Garvey's gentle vocal, covers the first half....but it's the introduction of a repeated, seemingly randomised keyboard motif that heralds the second half of the song, where strings and an energised high vocal from Garvey create a positively glorious atmosphere...not bad for a song that lyrically observes that from our perspective, it's the birds that are seemingly the only constants in our lives, observing everything. 

It's a brilliant start because it really sets the tone for the album; constant shifts in dynamics, atmospheric production and a real attention to emotional detail. Songs like Lippy Kids, The Night Will Always Win, The River and The Birds (Reprise) signify the lower points of the dynamic rollercoaster...and they're all brilliant. Lippy Kids tries to put a positive spin on adolescence, painting it as a truly glorious time of life, probably the last time you're ever truly free; musically it's dominated by a haunting piano melody, Garvey's plaintive cries and some tender, subtle strings. The Night Will Always Win is an utterly sublime piece of songwriting; emotionally draining, incredibly depressing but extraordinarily beautiful; it's quite minimalist, with only a spooky piano motif and Garvey taking centre stage, but the vocalist produces something extraordinary here that needs to be heard to be believed. The River also uses a piano melody, this one very blue in tone again, and accompanied by the wonderful Halle Youth Choir, which adds even more texture...and of course, there's more wonderful vocals from the brilliant Garvey.

Yet all of these are topped by the superb Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl. Telling the story of Garvey's first girlfriend, it's another minimalist tune, driven by Garvey's very matter-of-fact vocal that barely gets above a grumble, and lyrics that pretty much anyone who has ever moved in with a partner can relate to.

The peppier moments are on With Love, Neat Little Rows and High Ideals. The middle track is the best one here, as Elbow rediscover their muscular rock sound; a riff from Mark Potter sets the scene, matched by Richard Jupp's booming, rhythmic drums; before Craig Potter's keyboards harmonise with Garvey's vocal. The chorus is lavish and grand, with some sleigh bells as a nice percussive touch. Yet the best part is about halfway through when suddenly the atmosphere is remarkably altered; brass arrangements provide a loud, booming bottom end and the whole thing just sounds huge. With Love is probably the album's happiest sounding song, and given the subject matter and lyrics that's fairly apt; again, the Halle Youth Choir are here, but chanting in a very 'Manc' manner (according to Garvey), and its bright guitar/keys riff is very pleasant. High Ideals continues the minimalist approach in the verses, just bass, piano, light percussion and Garvey; this is punctuated by an Indian music inspired guitar motif.

When closing track Dear Friends comes to an end, after a rather poignant reflection on the nature of friendship, you're left with the ghosts of Garvey's past, as well as thoughts of your own...and the realisation that the album has done its job as a piece of art, commenting on the human condition.

The Verdict

Build a Rocket Boys! is essential listening. It doesn't have the punch or gravitas of some of Elbow's earlier work, and criticism of the album for sounding like a Garvey solo vehicle is somewhat warranted, to be fair...but it's another example of a band doing Coldplay far better than Coldplay themselves; this album actually packs an emotional punch because it does what bands like Coldplay don't - it uses subtlety and minimalism to enhance the emotive passages, rather than trying to overwhelm you with grandeur. The grand moments are there but they are used sparingly for greater effect - it's brilliant songwriting.

Not everyone's cup of tea, I'll grant you, but I think it's absolutely worth the time for those who are willing to invest time in it.

My rating: 9.0/10

Standout Tracks

The Birds

Neat Little Rows

The Night Will Always Win

Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl