4Play: Elbow, Paolo Nutini, Andrew Bird, The Streets

4Play: Elbow, Paolo Nutini, Andrew Bird, The Streets
Kristi Kates 7/27/09
Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid - Polydor
Electronics and rock live in equal measure on this set from Elbow, from the ambient guitar, beeping synths, glockenspiel and stampede of horns that feature in the opening track, “Starlings,” all the way to the heartfelt and beautiful tribute track, “Friend of Ours.” In between, there’s plenty of that reliable and grand Elbow sound, including the spacious yet sad “The Loneliness of a Tower Crane Driver,” the violin-graced “On a Day Like This,” the melodic bass line and contemplative lyrics of “Weather to Fly”. it’s both fragile and powerful through and through.



Paolo Nutini - Sunny Side Up - Atlantic
Kings of Leon producer Ethan Johns worked with Scottish singer-songwriter Nutini on his second album, and the production shows the difference in its less-polished feel. The tracks were recorded in a variety of locations, from NYC and L.A. to Ireland, and Nutini’s band The Vipers were also along for the ride. Nutini especially excels at his balladry - “Worried Man” and “Growing Up Beside You” being two highlights - but his other, briefer tunes are very listenable, too, from the springy “Candy” to the folky “Tricks of the Trade” and the more abrupt tracks like “Pencil Full of Lead.”


Andrew Bird - Noble Beast - FP
One of the interesting things about Bird’s music is that he often introduces unusual elements into his songs at unexpected moments, which keeps the listener on their toes (ears?) Opener “Oh No” begins calmly, with acoustic guitar and a pretty backing orchestra, but it’s not long before things get more eclectic, via the steel guitar of “Natural Disaster”; the string work, Spanish rhythms, and Bird’s carefree whistling on “Masterswarm”; the Euro-pop of “...Dizzyspells”; the chill feel of “Not a Robot”; and the well-written lyrics and cake layers of “Nomenclature.”



The Streets - Everything is Borrowed - Vice Records
One of the most likeable things about garage/Brit hip-hop artist Mike Skinner - aka The Streets - is his optimistic attitude, a near-180 from most of his contemporaries’ approaches to hip-hop music. Skinner’s wordplay is sometimes a little less complex than one might expect given his experience, but his earnestness makes up for it, as do the sheer catchy hooks that he crafts. “Heaven for the Weather” is bright and immediately winning, “I Love You More” pulls in a jazzy, late-night feel, and “The Strongest Person...” adds unexpected flairs of clarinet and harp. Cool.

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