Leaders Of The Free World - Music (Elbow)

Leaders of the Free World, Elbow's third album, sees the band try to beat down their major league contemporaries (Coldplay, Doves) with a more ambitious set of songs. In truth, they didn't need to try so hard; Elbow have arguably been making better and more interesting music than most of their mainstream compadres since they formed in 1990. That said, the results here are undoubtedly impressive and may form the band's best work yet. Beginning with the beautiful, slow-building "Station Approach", and ending with the short but touching "Puncture Repair", Leaders of the Free World takes in an a host of minor classics along the way. From the captivating strums of "Picky Bugger" and the sonorous chimes of "The Stop" to the massively captivating title track and the funereal waltz of "Great Expectations", the record's elliptical nature only adds to its enchanting qualities. If this doesn't confirm Elbow's status as superior musicians/arrangers and underline Guy Garvey's abilities as a master storyteller, nothing will. --Paul Sullivan

Customer Reviews of Leaders Of The Free World

Dan
UK
2nd August 2008

Top notch
What a great album! By far and away their best, before they succumbed to Coldplay-type anthems on Seldom Seen Kid. Every track a winner, but "Very best" is well titled. Enjoy! Anyone that can get Stockport Supporters Club into the lyrics of a ballad is alright by me!!

cowleyboy
cambridge england
12th June 2008

cracking album
What an amazing album from Elbow. It really has got the lot. Instrumentally it is fantastic, the lyrics are witty, subtly clever. Just a great listen that improves with regular listens. Definitely an album to listen to from start to finish. You really need all the tracks, so if you're thinking of downloading just a couple of songs please think again.

the ridster
Culshabbin, Scotland
24th October 2007

A year or so on.
Great expectations is the greatest song ever written. Given that I love Elliott Smith it's hard for me to admit, but it washes over and stirrs the emotions like no other. An album of sheer brilliance.

Juan Kerr
manchester, England
18th July 2007

Bury's finest since black pudding.
After the anthemic Red, powder blue and newborn from Asleep in the back fugitive motel and crawling with idiots from Cast of thousands,i found L.O.T.F.W to be a slower album, but it is a grower, and more often than not, they end up being your favourites.

In my opinion, I am Kloot, Puressence and Elbow are the finest bands of the last 10 years to originate from the North West of this septic isle.

turkey_baster

8th June 2007

"These feelings belong in a zoo..."
I don't know how to do this album justice. It is breathtakingly beautiful, with Mr Garvey seemingly effortlessly finding poetry in the everyday. Finding the cast of a wedding ceremony on the last bus home (great expectations), giving the best description of a bouncer you'll ever hear (forget myself) or drunkenly falling for a random girl in a bar (imagined affair). The whole album feels like a story and its one I don't tire of. I can't recommend it highly enough.