Elbow's new album Flying Dream 1 is out next month, and they've just shared the first single. It's titled "The Seldom Seen Kid," which Elbow fans will recognize as the title of their Mercury Prize-winning 2008 album. Like the album, the song is named for Manchester musician Bryan Glancy, who died in 2006. Set against a woodwind backing, "The Seldom Seen Kid" is a gorgeous song and you can watch the accompanying video, filmed during the recording process at Brighton Theatre Royal, below.
“Whilst we were recording, the realities of lockdown meant that I often only got to hear the music the lads had been making in their homes in Manchester late at night when the house was still," says frontman Guy Garvey of the song. "The first thing I heard was what you hear, the drums leading into a beautiful, daring, woodwind arrangement. I was expecting a piano, not a clarinet, but Craig’s creation perfectly encapsulated my mood at that point and the lyrics came out in the order you hear them. It struck me that Bryan meeting my wife Rachael would have been something to witness, a joint charm offensive of grand proportions as both are proud and brilliant and a little bit naughty. In my mind at that point, there was no better thing than watching my best friend dance with the woman I love.”