MOG Editorial Review

Typically, once a rock band band experiences massive success, their first impulse is to create a follow-up meant to gain even greater fame, but UK sensations Elbow have thankfully avoided this with the release of Build a Rocket Boys!. Following both massive sales and a prestigious Mercury Prize for Seldom Seen Kid, Elbow seem intent on not creating radio-friendly rock anthems for the sake of gaining fans, instead opting for sparse, minimal pop and rock tunes. Frontman Guy Garvey's soft-spoken vocals help make this sound cohesive, finding a balance between his knack for hooks and desire to craft challenging songs, a combo that his its stride on the song "Lippy Kids," managing to use the album title as a refrain while spanning beyond the 6-minute mark. This is a band that finally found deserved success late in their career, and Rocket shows that they're not going to let it get to their head.