A cursory glance at Cast of Thousands sees Elbow still mining for somber pop nuggets in the same shaft as Coldplay. But this perception is a problem. Because if Gus Garvey still occasionally recalls someone belting out "Yellow" over the car stereo, underneath surface similarities lies a far less bombastic yet equally rewarding band.

Don't expect Coldplay's next record to start with electronic bleeps and "we blew the doors, didn't we? Pissed in their champagne and did a real thing, didn't we?" Elbow's vision of romance does not strip away the grime, the filthy human element of love, which ultimately makes lines like "we called that love / all you have is kisses / all I need is you" all the more endearing. Not that Elbow are exactly punk; the music itself rarely veers from a slow-building, almost torch song template, touching upon some prog-rock and jazz sensibilities. What makes them so eminently listenable and interesting is that they can pull off menace and romance at the same time, never quite revealing which side of the fence they're truly sitting on.

Nowhere is this more apparent than in "I've Got Your Number," in which "grow a fucking heart, love" and "I've got your number / you've got my number" coexist. It is rare to find a band that can seem so direct and warm and turn so sinister and cold in a matter of seconds.

Cast of Thousands is only hurt by its dogged refusal to alter the moody, mid-tempo atmosphere from time to time. On this go-around, there is nothing on the level of the slap-in-the-face that was "Bitten By the Tailfly," from Asleep in the Back. The slow pounding of "Snooks" comes closest, sounding like a cousin of Radiohead's "Optimistic," but it ultimately does not steer this ship off its course.

Still, there is no doubt Elbow exel at creating beautiful, delicate, even eerie music. "Switching Off," the apparent centerpiece, is arrestingly desperate in its need to be heard, and is among the most memorable and heartbreaking pieces of the year so far. Elbow are human and sophisticated, and this, I suspect, is what will allow their music to endure.

If you like Elbow, check out:
Coldplay A Rush of Blood to the Head
Peter Gabriel Peter Gabriel 3
Catherine Wheel Chrome
Kitchens of Distinction The Death of Cool
Talk Talk Laughing Stock

-- Bryan Wilson