I've been shit, haven't I? Sorry about that. So much music, so little time. These ears have been privy to new albums by Al Green, James Hunter, Neil Diamond, Sigur Ros, Lau, Solomon Burke, Mark Morriss, Coldplay, The Zutons, Fleet Foxes and Brett Anderson recently and I've not really had a moment to stop and gather my thoughts. Add in the series of splendid German cheese, 'The In-Kraut' albums, vintage Moby Grape, Terry Hall, Dexy's, Hank Williams, Al Wilson, The Byrds, Miles Davis and Sinatra and it's been a delightful few weeks of listening. I can happily say that there's nothing shite in amongst that lot. Perhaps predictably, the worst thing in that list is the Coldplay album, but even that is reasonable and certainly many, many times better than their last.
Perversely, I don't intend to witter on about any of them right now, although I'm sure I will in due time. My two focuses for this post are Elbow and Radiohead.
'The Seldom Seen Kid', Elbow's fourth album, is well on the way to being my album of the year. 'One Day Like This', the recent single from it, is occupying similar territory in the corresponding 'single' list. It's not a return to form because every album they've made is great, but it's certainly a step up. I've been playing it a lot recently after getting the vinyl edition (2x45rpm 12" - wonderful stuff) and I can't find a weak moment on it. The ethereal nature of the songs are entirely in keeping with the phenomenal attention to detail that goes into the making of an Elbow record. There's little point singling out individual tracks as I'd just be writing out the tracklist in a slightly different order.
As a result of this adoration of the latest album, I've trolled back through their earlier stuff and I'd forgotten just how delicately poised, 'Asleep In The Back' is. Emotionally vulnerable, ensconced in a 'bad place', Guy Garvey's lyrics do not a happy picture paint. Aurally, it's an imperfect masterpiece. Yup, some bits go on too long and perhaps certain arrangements could have been worked at more, but it's a wonderful album, in the traditional sense of the word. The collection of songs work perfectly together and less well when separated.
In addition to the albums, anyone with an eMusic subscription can pick up pretty much all of their b-sides up to the end of their third album. There are some gems in there too and, if they get your attention, you'll need to dig a little harder for some of the more recent, predominantly vinyl along with limited edition CD releases, bonus material. I feel like I should conclude this section with a cautionary tale about what to avoid. I can't really think of anything though.
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Meanwhile, my attention was sharply returned to 'In Rainbows' last night by the arrival of 'In Rainbows - From The Basement', a live video album, on iTunes. Ok, so it'll cost you twice as much as those in the US to purchase it from UK iTunes, but, on this rare occasion, I'm going to wholeheartedly endorse a digital product. I still feel a little dirty, even though it's good.
The performance of 'Videotape' found amongst these files is beguiling. After the stripped down performance that made the album, fans of the 'Head had begun to fret that the more complex and electronic interpretation of the track may never see the light of day. Well, fear not, for here it is. Go on, click on the brief preview now, treat yourself. I'll wait.
See. Anyhoo, the version of 'Weird Fishes/Arpeggi' is rather splendid also - although that is true of pretty much every performance of that quite brilliant tune - as is the aggressive pounding of 'Bangers & Mash'. It left me thinking about the 'In Rainbows' album. I was playing it at work the other day and a colleague enquired, "Is this Radiohead?" I pointed out that it was and that it was from 'In Rainbows'. She replied, "Oh, which one's that? I don't have that one, although I've got all of their other stuff."
I was truly baffled. How could anyone who likes Radiohead not know about the existence of 'In Rainbows'? Back in October, it seemed like the news of the free download had spread around the whole world and media commentators were predicting massive shifts in the whole entertainment industry. And yet, here's someone who's stuck with them, right up to 'Hail To The Thief', who didn't even know that they had a new album out. With hindsight, it's clear to see that 'In Rainbows' was never quite the global phenomenon the British media made it out to be. Although, regularly refreshing various Radiohead message boards in the hope of being able to get on there and discuss the album back on October 10th, will remain a happy little memory of that time.
As for the music, opinion remains a little divided. Generally, it would seem that most people think it's a good record, at the very least. I think it's one of the best things they've ever done, and its concise nature and meticulous production charm the pants off me. These new iTunes performances have served to underline just how good 'In Rainbows' is and I simply expect the band to be outstanding and, as a result, don't always release how good each thing they release is.
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