ACL Sunday Recaps: Elbow, Broken Social Scene

Elbow: It was fitting that Manchester's reigning kings of melancholy played to a tired but pleasant crowd under a grey, drizzling sky. Affable frontman Guy Garvey didn't waste any time taking credit for flying in the weather from England to help "these scorched lands." It had been over five years since the group last set foot in Austin, during which time they've grown massively in stature in Europe - so it was a rare treat to catch the band in this part of the world.

The next hour showed how a festival set is done when crafted by a set of veterans - Garvey asked for handclaps, arm waving, harmony vocals, and the like from the crowd, politely chiding any areas that didn't try hard enough. The song selection worked exclusively from 2008 breakout The Seldom Seen Kid and this year's build a rocket boys, which worked well for set cohesion but likely left a few longtime fans wanting for more. Highlights included the new single "Lippy Kids," which mixed nostalgia with a beautiful piano line, whistling (which prompted more crowd participation), and Garvey's soaring voice - which is so good it sounds like a slightly more elegant spin on Peter Gabriel's. We also admired the quick glimpse of the band's rockier side on the stomping "Grounds For Divorce," which was a nice tempo change in a generally slow-to-mid tempo show. In sum, the band are fantastic, and one can only hope that the raves they've garnered at ACL and Coachella this year will increase their American profile. Well done.

Broken Social Scene: It's hard to walk away disappointed when seeing Kevin Drew and BSS, and Sunday's show was no exception. The multiple guitar attack on display (literally a line of five dudes) gave the band a slightly different and less feminine look than past incarnations, reminding us less of esoteric Yo La Tengo and more of the crunchy riffs of Dinosaur Jr. "Texico Bitches" drew huge applause when the band brought it out early, as did a fun cover of Modest Mouse's "World At Large." At the group's 2010 shows for SXSW, there were reports that the band were scolding and tempermental - but none of that was on display Sunday. Mostly, the group simply tried to keep out of the sun by donning caps and even towels on their head, chatting pleasantly with the large crowd, and playing the material everyone had come to hear. It wasn't the best set of the weekend, but it was a very nice way to spend an afternoon hour.