Elbow's Cast Of Thousands

Manchester's Finest

Emerging from legal wrangles with their old 'major' label to unleash the album of 2001, Asleep At The Back, Elbow return with its follow up, Cast Of Thousands before headlining Reading and Leeds' Radio 1 Stage at the end of the month. Retaining the claustrophobic swell of emotion, but replacing the fear and loss of their debut with more joyous outpourings; it's filled with grandiose gospel arrangements and vivid instrumentation.

Guy Garvey's crystal vocals are wrapped in tearful melodies, and though they have retained the proggy elements to their experimental-northern guitar music, in many places the songs are more spacious and less cluttered. Of course listening to Elbow makes it obvious that this is a record straight out of modern Manchester. The hushing and delicately original rhythms are pumped by continually haunting basslines and the fractured angelics of Guy's melodies.

The first proper single, 'Fallen Angel' can be heard here. And you can listen to 'Crawling With Idiot' (an mp3 album track) here.

Go to our competitions section for a chance to win a copy of the album and make sure you catch Elbow on tour at one of these dates:

SEPTEMBER

Wed 24th - Stoke, Sugarmill
Thur 25th - Liverpool, Academy
Sat 27th - Bristol, University
Sun 28th - Cambridge, Corn Exchange
Mon 29th - Brighton, Corn Exchange

OCTOBER

Wed 1st - Wolverhampton, Wulfrun Hall
Thur 2nd - Glasgow, QMU
Fri 3rd - Manchester, Academy
Sun 5th - Newcastle, University
Mon 6th - Sheffield, University
Wed 8th - London, Astoria