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Asleep In The Back Image
Metascore
82

Universal acclaim - based on 19 Critic Reviews What's this?

User Score
8.6

Universal acclaim- based on 25 Ratings

  • Summary: Often compared to Doves and Radiohead, Manchester-based Elbow is yet another new alternative band to emerge from the British music press hype machine. This debut album was shortlisted for 2001's Mercury Music Prize.

Top Track

Powder Blue
Your eyes are just like black spiders Your hair and dress in ribbons Babycakes In despair or incoherent, nothing in between China white, my bride... See the rest of the song lyrics
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 17 out of 19
  2. Negative: 0 out of 19
  1. 100
    Their debut drips of melancholy and swims in gorgeous sheets of incidental noise.
  2. A dark, moody, hypnotic monumental masterpiece with songs that unfold subtlety from one elaborate texture to the next so that you almost don't notice the marvelous hooks until they have dug their way beneath your skin and buried themselves in your soul.
  3. One of the best debut albums of the last five years.
  4. Alternative Press
    80
    Asleep is just enigmatic enough to avoid plagiarism. [Mar 2002, p.77]
  5. The tempos might not ever exceed mid-level, and half of the songs might exceed five minutes, but the record is anything but a difficult listen or tough to wade through.
  6. While the band has a very developed sense of texture and sound, though, they rather desperately need to work on changing things up a bit more with regard to the songs themselves.
  7. Establishing a languorous mood right away, the album is all meandering, low-key moods and textures, with precious few focused songs on which to hang them.

See all 19 Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 8
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 8
  3. Negative: 2 out of 8
  1. Dec 10, 2010
    10
    Absolutely beautiful album. Its filled with eerie and melancholy sounds mixed with some sweet riffs and effects. Definately worth a listen.Absolutely beautiful album. Its filled with eerie and melancholy sounds mixed with some sweet riffs and effects. Definately worth a listen. Slow, moody, at times melancholy, but by no means boring. Expand
  2. [Anonymous]
    Oct 11, 2002
    10
    simply one of the best, most emotional and mind-blowing records of all time. hard to imagine it's a debut.
  3. Craig
    Jan 14, 2004
    10
    one of the best debut albums i've heard in the past few years.
  4. MrMikey
    Aug 24, 2004
    8
    Cracking debut, 10 years in the making. Newborn is the stand out track for me as I just feel that its a full on aural assault of the best Cracking debut, 10 years in the making. Newborn is the stand out track for me as I just feel that its a full on aural assault of the best possible kind. Slow to mid tempo? Yes. Boring? Anything but. Expand
  5. Jul 31, 2012
    8
    Low key debut that lays out the blueprint that Elbow went onto develop and expand on. It's got a very strong first half but I feel it tapersLow key debut that lays out the blueprint that Elbow went onto develop and expand on. It's got a very strong first half but I feel it tapers off a bit in the 2nd half. That said, the closer "Scattered Black and Whites" is one of the albums highlights. Overall, it's a soft and gentle record with some really beautiful songs. Garveys vocals are perfect for the delicate instrumentation and like the records the produced afterwards, it's a record that just makes you feel warm inside. Expand
  6. Tee
    Mar 7, 2002
    3
    boring. no two ways about it.
  7. MikeS.
    Mar 11, 2002
    2
    Very disappointed, way too slow and boring for my taste. Does not come close to living up to the great reviews IMO. It basically sounds like Very disappointed, way too slow and boring for my taste. Does not come close to living up to the great reviews IMO. It basically sounds like a bad Catherine Wheel CD. Expand

See all 8 User Reviews