And the winner is...ELBOW!

 

Well, I am as happy as the proverbial pig in shit this evening, ladies and gents. Why? Because the 2008 Mercury Prize has been awarded to Elbow, a band I love and admire dearly. I'll just pause for a minute while most of you scratch your heads in puzzlement....

*tick tock tick tock tick tock*

'Kay, now that that's done, lemme explain. For those of you into music, you may already know about the Mercury Prize, which is awarded each year in the UK to recognize the British album of the year, as voted upon by a panel of music industry figures. But even if you do follow music, you may not be familiar with this year's winner, and you really should be. The winning album, announced today, is The Seldom Seen Kid, which is the amazing creation of Manchester-based band Elbow.

Now, Elbow and me, we go way back. As far as we can go, anyway...back to their debut release, Asleep In The Back (2001). That LP, and each of the 3 that followed it, are tremendous pieces of work, well above the average level of qulaity you find in the Top 40 these days. They have been evolving steadily with each album, and they certainly reached a high-water mark when The Seldom Seen Kid was released this April.

I flew to see them in Chicago on their US tour this spring, and it was absolutely sublime. The experience was one I am very grateful for, and one I'll never forget. I am thrilled to know they've been given this national recognition in their home country, and I hope the win will mean more exposure for their music. For all their awesomosity (so it's not a real word...what are you, the Grammar Police?), they are still under the radar to a lot of folks. So if you don't know their music yet, do yourself a favor and check it out. I will do another post sometime soon with recommendations for anyone who wants 'em, but I'm too tired tonight. I'll leave you with some links where you can explore their sound a bit more, and I truly hope you will.

Official site: http://www.elbow.co.uk

MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/elbowmusic  

Elbow Room Only (fan forum): http://elbow.heavenforum.com

And the winner is...ELBOW!