Party Ben, I gotta tell you.. give it another listen... and then another. I really hated this record at first, despite being one of the few people on our side of the pond to appreciate Elbow's earlier albums. It's all the more impressive in light of the fact that Elbow was dropped from their label and produced this record themselves.

Yeah, I'd say listen to it (preferably in headphones) at least three times OR better yet see the band live (on this tour they did almost the whole new record live).

I mean, I'm shocked because In Rainbows is a fantastic record, but Seldom Scene Kid is... really quite spectacular.

The difference between Elbow and Keane and Coldplay is probably hard for the average (especially American) listener to discern, but -- to my ear -- there's a greater level of artistry to Elbow, even when the instrumentation is the same.

Prog without the solos, without the weird time signatures. Just solid songwriting, great arrangements, wonderful sonics, and well-crafted melodies.

Generally, they way I think of it is that if Radiohead is carving their path with a machete, and Coldplay following them with a pocketknife, Elbow is kind of wandering around out there with a set of decent steak knives, and not particularly riding on any current band's aesthetic coattails. [What a terrible analogy.]

Last time I checked, it's a British award, so it's hardly surprising that the album's very British. Funny thing is, Elbow doesn't sound a bit like Coldplay anyway; mainstream English rock is not synonymous with all English rock.

And they're not that underground either. The new film "Burn After Reading" uses "Grounds for Divorce" in its preview, and that's an American film with big names, isn't it?

Perhaps the American audience is, for the most part, a little too American to appreciate. And yes, the other contenders are excellent too. Give "The Seldom Seen Kid" another listen, though. It truly is a brilliant album made by some really talented guys. Even if they happen to have heavy Manchester accents.

I completely agree, dd. After my temper went down a bit, the best thing to say really is that it's an intricate, beautiful, and intimate album, with gorgeous melodies and carefully arranged instrumentation. It sometimes takes me a few listens to truly absorb and come to love even the best albums, so perhaps Party Ben should simply keep an open mind to this one, and he might find that he likes it more than he originally thought.

"Prog without the solos, without the weird time signatures."
What's the point then? Prog rock is all about changing times/keys and modulation.

Can't tell much on first listening through a laptop, but it still sounds pretty pedestrian.

I like the music but the
video is vulgar.