CityLife

Elbow bag another gong

STELLAR YEAR: Elbow

BURY band Elbow have rounded off a tremendous year with their album topping an annual “poll of polls” list.

Their Nationwide Mercury Prize-winning record The Seldom Seen Kid came out top in the eighth such chart, which combines the choices of critics.

The HMV Poll of Polls is collated each December, adding up album of the year nominations from music writers across specialist press, national media and online sites.

HMV staff also vote, as do customers on HMV’s social network site getcloser.com.

The top 50 list is headed by the music writers’ overall choice of album of the year. Previous winners include Daft Punk, OutKast, Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem.

The Seldom Seen Kid pulled the most nominations across 35 publications, sites and organisations polled.

Elbow’s triumph followed a close run with Portishead’s long-awaited comeback album Third.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds’ Dig Lazarus, Dig was third, while debuts from Fleet Foxes and Vampire Weekend completed the top five.

HMV’s rock and pop buyer Damian Evans said: “The poll reflects an excellent, eclectic year in music with some exciting new artists featuring prominently.

“I suspect few people would dispute that Elbow have given us the album of the year. They were popular winners of the Nationwide Mercury Prize, and they now deservedly top the HMV Poll of Polls as well.”