So, Elbow have released a new album, and the TV Advertising has them branded as the best band of their generation, which, to be fair, is quite a wild claim, and I’d love to understand the basis of that evaluation. What were their advertising company basing this on?
Sales? - Can’t be, they achieve moderate sales at best, have never had a number 1 single or album, and hardly strike any fear in to their competitions record labels. They are not the worst sales of bands about today, thats has to be said, particularly especially when we consider both the changing landscape of the music industry and the riduclous financial situation that continues threatening to cripple the UK. And with their Mercury Music Prize victory they boosted those sales, as does every winner, but that inevitably is nothing more than a shot in the arm, from which the band needed to solidify a stronger foundation than they did.
Cult Status? - Hardly. True, they are a popular band within a certain market, but how many people really give a crap about listening to an hour of tumble-dryer recordings? Ok, perhaps thats a little harsh, I am neither a fan nor a opposer to their style, I think they have a place in music and they write music that can relax as much as it can evoke you, but when you consider cult bands or artists, particularly of their generation, you really need to be considering the likes of Muse, Radiohead, Jon Mayer, Damien Rice, to name but a few. Moreover, these have all achieved far greater commercial success, whilst building up a ridiculously avid fan-base, both for live shows and released material.
Technical Ability? - ….just excuse me a second while I clear the pee from trousers and replace the rib that just cracked. Even harkening back to the very breif list of cult bands we see the likes of Radiohead and Muse, both of whom push the boundaries continually with the development of their sound, seismically shifting their focus to slap you around the face with sonic fists. Elbow are the musical equivilant of a damp digestive biscuit on a monday morning… in Hemel Hempstead. Perhaps technical ability is a somewhat ambiguous marker for greatness, as you are somewhat confined by the limits of your genre, but there are the likes of the aforementioned Damien Rice and Jon Mayer, the Doves, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, and I’ll even somewhat cheekily include Jeff Buckley, who although passed away last decade, would still hold merit today.
So do they really have any right to make such a claim? No, is the short answer, and noooooooo is the longer answer.