Asleep in the Back

They’ve become a byword for late-blooming success but there’s the sheen of fully-formed confidence on Elbow’s first album. Fired up by major label disappointment, the Manchester five-piece throw everything at a 12-song set that establishes their knack for misty-eyed epics (“Powder Blue”) and amp-frazzling indie experimentation (the chant-filled “Bitten By the Tail Fly”). What’s more, “Newborn” is an early monument to frontman Guy Garvey’s lyrical gift and artfully dishevelled falsetto.