i was mildly entertained by 'asleep in the back,' elbow's first album. as the title suggests, by the end of the album i was asleep. 'asleep...' was an 'atmospheric album' (save a few tracks like the beautiful 'newborn'), heavy on sound and ambience. so i surprised when i first heard 'a cast of thousands.' it's quite a step forward for the band. they, much like doves, ditched the atmospherics for a more straightforward sound. and the results are incredible.

guy garvey, he of the beautifully huskied voice, is one of rock's premier lyricists. 'i'll blow you a kiss,it should reach you tomorrow as if flies from the other side of the world' belongs among the great single lyrics of our time. other lyrics like 'pull my ribs apart and let the sun inside,' ('ribcage) 'walking through the long grass on your hands,' and 'teach you how to whistle like a boy' reveal a nice sensitivity without dipping into sentimentality. the album is full of amazing imagery, much more poetic that 99.9% of songwriters out there.

musically, the band really seems to find it's footing. every track, and i mean, EVERY track, is well worth listening to. the rawkish 'fallen angels,' the hummable 'not a job,' and my favorite song of 2003 - 'switching off.' it's a devasting and heartbreaking song. you'll hit repeat again and again and again and again. i know i did. when guy sings 'you, the only sense the world has ever made' you get goosebumps zipping up and down your body like rogue torpedos. one of the great modern love songs. trust me.

it's difficult not to join the elbow army, especially when the album ends with thousands of people singing 'we still believe in love, so f*** you!'

Guy Garvey and co. set out with a sound that resembled enough of their musical mates to find a place for their music but set themselves apart enough to know that they aren't just another band from the other side of the pond. Preferably, none of the english bands should be compared to being the next Radiohead (pointless analogies), but rather to their own core of groups that they derived and were influenced from. The Manchester scene has given us numerous bands throughout the decades and, along with Doves, we are in high gear these past few years.

"Asleep in the Back" was an exceptional work that had the listener reaching with the band for areas of rock that had been previously unattainable. Stretching their sound further and expanding on their lyrics was expected and Elbow have delivered another well produced piece. Both "Ribcage" and "Fallen Angel" give you the perfect start for rock that is great for those who like it, but not meant for MTV and daily radio and that is why Elbow work. Through personal lovelorn and introspective lyrics they take their sound far and strong, but never out of reach. Real rock is true of their performances and after giving this album continuous listens, you can follow through on the path Elbow have been setting with both of their fine, fine lps.

Yet another reason why Manchester remains at the forefront of the musical map.

US version comes with 2 bonus tracks and a cd-rom complete with videos and a film accompaniment to the album.

Just under 4 stars.

I for one thought Elbow's US debut, "Asleep in the Back", was one of the most unexpectedly auspicious debuts of 2002. So I eagerly awaited this long-delayed followup. My first - and second - impression is of a band that wants to move on and explore new musical territory, while grounding itself in more traditional stylings as well. And Guy Garvey's mopey vocals are still eerily reminiscent of David Gilmour of Pink Floyd, a major influence to be sure. Elbow is a middle ground between Coldplay and Radiohead (how many times has that been said before?), yet here they seem to want to go in both directions. Some of the tunes here are more upbeat, even "poppier", than anything on "Asleep", and the use of the gospel choir is interesting. (But what's with that high-pitched scream that annoyingly punctuates the chorus of "Grace Under Pressure"?) Garvey's lyrics are often brilliant ("To pull my ribs apart/and let the sun inside"), and yes, the music occasionally leans toward the experimental. Yet nothing here moves me as the anthemic soungs like "Powder Blue" did on the first album. Give Garvey and the band credit for wanting to move on, rather than stagnate into a "sound", but that progress, at least for this record, has met with mixed results. (The CD-ROM bonus music video disc is a nice plus, but there's nothing terribly groundbreaking here - a good diversion for your desktop, though.)

This is my favorite new band from the UK, although there seems to be a growing number of young bands that are HOT at the moment, Snow Patrol, Keane, Turnin Breaks.. an so on, this CD and group stand out for me. Very interesting musically, and although you may struggle for a while to understand the lyrics, the challenges are rewarding. I don't like the comparisons to Coldplay I read here though, they are quite different musically, and I don't think the voices sound much a like at all (yes I'm a fan of Coldplay). Anyway, I'd rush right out and buy this CD because you won't be disappointed. It's another bold statement as to why the UK music scene is far superior to ours here in the US. Why can't music like this be played more on the radio here? It's my understanding that this is one of the hottest bands in the UK right now.. shame US radio doesn't listen..

Cast of Thousands gets my vote for the best album of 2003. Each track is beautifully written, sung, and performed. I highly, highly recommend it to anybody and everybody because that is what it has...something for everybody. I bought my album used at a record shop. After listening to it, I couldn't believe anybody would let this album go. Fantastic, brilliant, beautiful, moving, joyous, mournful, and introspective are just a few words to describe it. Anyone who says this is just another brit-rock album obviously hasn't listen to it.