| 100 |
Playlouder
Few albums are this evocative, and 'Leaders of the Free World' is a thing of rare beauty indeed.
|
| 100 |
Under The Radar
Elbow have always been the most intelligent band in Britain. Now they're the most exciting, too. [#12, p.91]
|
| 91 |
Spin
Rife with acid-burn guitars, levee-breaking drums, and vocals that recall Peter Gabriel at his wooziest. [Feb 2006, p.87]
|
| 91 |
Entertainment Weekly
The gloom-rock tunes are as sophisticated as ever. [24 Feb 2006, p.64]
|
| 91 |
The Onion (A.V. Club)
Leaders Of The Free World contains songs as heavy and epic as the neo-prog of Elbow's first two albums, but it's strongest at its quietest.
|
| 91 |
Stylus Magazine
Right now Elbow are hitting an emotional pitch no one else is managing; one more personal and more potent than those that might be considered their competition.
|
| 90 |
New Musical Express
A masterpiece.
|
| 80 |
Dot Music
A... winning blend of seemingly spontaneous, humanised warmth and brooding, existential contemplation.
|
| 80 |
Q Magazine
This is certainly no party album, and its colours are almost exclusively monochrome, but its majesty reigns supreme. [Sep 2005, p.112]
|
| 80 |
The Guardian
Retains Elbow's best qualities - embittered romanticism and pretty, twisty melodies - while infusing them with hooks galore.
|
| 80 |
Mojo
[A] deft combination of emotional intimacy and musical ambition. [Oct 2005, p.108]
|
| 80 |
No Ripcord
Endearingly sorrowful without descending into outright misery, Leaders Of The Free World is exactly what we the listeners should expect from a band's third album.
|
| 80 |
PopMatters
Leaders Of The Free World is an ambitious and beautiful album that confirms Elbow as one of the bands of our generation.
|
| 80 |
Blender
Elbow's lifeblood is equal parts rain and alcohol. [Mar 2006, p.111]
|
| 80 |
All Music Guide
Leaders of the Free World is a bit more rock & roll than not, with guts and heart, because Elbow have finally embraced their powerful, surrounding space this time out.
|
| 75 |
Lost At Sea
A mostly brilliant, though occasionally lackluster, album.
|
| 70 |
Tiny Mix Tapes
It's probably the worst Elbow album yet.
|
| 70 |
Paste Magazine
Leaders Of The Free World would seem by-the-book Brit rock, if it weren't for Guy Garvey. Gruff but generous, with a voice like Peter Gabriel minus the ego, Garvey masters the role of sensitive frontman by staying grounded. [Feb/Mar 2006, p.104]
|
| 62 |
Pitchfork
Why, pray tell, did Elbow decide to start sounding less like Radiohead rip-offs and more like midlife-crisis Travis?
|
| 60 |
Uncut
It's certainly more assured and less wilfully angsty than Cast Of Thousands. However, it still lacks the special unified mood or thread of Asleep. [Oct 2005, p.110]
|
| 60 |
ShakingThrough.net
The back end of the album trundles along, failing to rival the opening energy or offer anything as interesting as the non-anthemic detours.
|
| 60 |
Slant Magazine
The album is a reverb-laced dirge, a slow-motion version of "you're prettier after three beers." Unfortunately, Elbow's lyrics--while plenty fatigued, especially coming from the disinterested vocal cords of lead singer Guy Garvey--are pretty sober.
|
| 60 |
Prefix Magazine
Presenting four or five great songs on any fifty-minute album is a rare gift, and on Leaders of the Free World, these bittersweet Brits prove to be worthy rainy-day companions.
|
| 40 |
Rolling Stone
What it lacks are top-quality tunes.
|
| 30 |
Alternative Press
It's not that Elbow's half-Travis, half-early-Radiohead Britpop shoegaze routine is patently shitty; it's just hopelessly forgettable. [Mar 2006, p.134]
|
