Elbow at a concert in Holland. Photo licensed under Creative Commons courtesy of Guus Krol.

This week, we go back across the Atlantic to North West England to find The Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of. Elbow, a band that calls themselves “Prog Rock without the Solos,” has had great success in the UK, but has yet to have an album break the Top 100 here in the States. Guitars that seem to wander with a point, huge crescendos throughout the songs, and interjections of both keyboard and organ; in case it wasn’t clear, this band is not your stereotypical four-piece rock band. Think Radiohead, but not quite as strange and experimental. But vocalist/lyricist Guy Garvey, who founded the band in 1990, makes this band unique. His voice resonates and leads us through the bright miasma of the song, and his lyrics are simply fantastic.

Elbow has released four albums to date, and each one has been at least Top 15 in England; their latest, “Seldom Seen Kid,” won the 2008 Mercury Prize, awarded to the best album from the UK or Ireland. So, yes, they beat out “In Rainbows” to win this award. They have been endorsed by Radiohead, U2, R.E.M., and Coldplay. Any more questions about their talents?

Their highest charting single off of “Seldom Seen Kid,” “Grounds for Divorce,” is posted below. You can check out the rest of their collection on their MySpace page. Seriously, why haven’t these guys hit it big? Enjoy them before they become a huge hit, and no matter what happens, these guys are great musicians. They are worth our time, for certain.

This is Goose, signing off.

Elbow-”Grounds for Divorce”