Elbow - Leaders of the Free World

It’s always hard to judge an album numerically and so far I have yet to come up with a scientific formula other than my gut, but this time I thought I would simply count how many songs I loved, how many I liked, and how many I could leave, and see where I stood after that. The first victim of this twisted experiment? Leaders Of The Free World, the junior release from British boys Elbow. The songs I liked? 1. “Station Approach” is a great soft/loud song that builds up to a huge beat and immediately lets you know the boys aren’t as gloomy and down as their first albums were, which was their Achilles’ heel in my opinion. 2. “Forget Myself” is an up tempo track that sticks to the ears. 3. “Mexican Standoff” is probably my second favorite cut on the entire disc. The speedy clap along and front and center guitar make the track stand out. 4. “My Very Best” is good, but not particularly noteworthy of further explanation 5. “Great Expectations” is the same as above. The songs I could do without? 1. “Picky Bastard” is mellow and actually good but a bit too forgettable. 2. “The Stops” is laid back to the point it’s boring. 3. “An Imagined Affair” reminds me of Coldplay’s first record at times but just doesn’t bring it as hard as it should to be fully a rounded and complete track. 4. “The Everthere” is a take it or leave it affair. 5. “Puncture Repair” to short and slim to stand up tall. So that leaves us at a dead tie, probably somewhere in the 2.5 range I would say, but the boys have an ace up their sleeve. The song I loved? 1. “Leaders Of The Free World” is not only the best song on the disc but one of the best tracks I have heard all year. It’s a questioning of the current authorities state of affairs that manages to artistically make great points without sounding too preachy. Lots, and I mean LOTS, of bands have tried to make a statement about the world with their songs lately, and most have failed, but this track is both musically and lyrically outstanding. The song is so good in fact that it makes every song around it better, as if by simply being on the same disc as this song, the others sound a notch or two better. So in the end we are left with an album that is above average, if just barely, but helped immensely by my current nominee for track of the year. “Leader Of The Free World” (the song) is an A+, homerun, outstanding achievement. Leaders Of The Free World (the album) is good but ultimately could be better. [www.elbow.co.uk]