Elbow - Open Arms

Everyone loves a bit of Elbow, don't they? There's something inherently charming about their innate English-ness and front-man Guy Garvey's everyman demeanor. And if Neat Little Rows was their new albums Grounds For Divorce, then surely Open Arms must be the new One Day Like This.

Let's have a look at the Elbow checklist. Big anthemic chorus. Twinkly guitars. A stomping, relentless drum beat. It's all there. One reason Elbow work so well is because their music is of the sort that, if you'll pardon the pun, opens its arms wide to the people. This is the sound of an arena of enraptured fans signing their hearts out to their idols. It's also the sound of a nation's emotions and spirit, captured perfectly in five minutes of delicate lyrical poetry. When Garvey calls out 'Everyone sing...', he calls out to us... you, I, and everyone we know. In one moment, a collective voice sings out; crystal clear and fine.

I think it took a performance like last night's breathtaking Comic Relief spectactular, complete with full choir, to make me fully realise the power of this song. In the context of the rest of Build A Rocket Boys! this is a triumphant late-album ballad, but taken on its own, Open Arms becomes the epic beauty it was always destined to be. Sometimes music speaks out to you, beyond any logic and reason; and this is one of those moments. Timeless and elegiac, this is Elbow once again hitting the heighest of heights.