They're young, they're smart, they're passionate, and they have the
energy and ambition to take a mighty leap for that brass ring. Ladies
and gentlemen, meet Idlewild.
Oft compared to such luminaries as R.E.M., The Smiths, and U2,
Scotland's Idlewild were a more than pleasant surprise when their
second full-length, 100 Broken Windows, was released a few
years ago. What had previously seemed a ramshackle, punkish band that
proudly displayed its love of Nirvana, Sonic Youth, and even
Metallica on its collective sleeve emerged instead as a highly
literate, desperately questing group that had mastered a keen sense
of melody. Had I compiled a best of 2000 list, 100 Broken
Windows would have stood atop it.
Now, the "difficult" follow-up to the breakthrough album, which
actually turned out to be something of an ordeal for the band to
make. Idlewild began recording new material early last year with
renowned producer Stephen Street (The Smiths, Blur, The Cranberries),
but were frustrated with their material, some of which they had
written more than a year earlier. Following a head-clearing U.S.
tour, they began pre-production work sessions with Patti Smith Group
guitarist/writer Lenny Kaye. Idlewild singer Roddy Woomble has said
in interviews that their time with Kaye was key to his own continued
development as a writer; Kaye helped him focus on his lyrics,
something Woomble said no previous producer had addressed. Returning
to a remote area of Scotland, the band spent several weeks writing
and reworking some 20 songs before settling in with a more familiar
associate, producer Dave Eringa, to record most of The Remote
Part over a six-week period.
That The Remote Part marks another step in the band's
evolution is readily apparent from the stadium-ready opening track,
"You Held the World in Your Arms," which enters through a repetitious
guitar riff underpinned by a swirling synthesizer part —
immediately recognizable as Idlewild, yet fresh. "A Modern Way of
Letting Go," which follows, finds the band returning to its
high-energy roots, Woomble racing to reach the chorus ahead of Rod
Jones' layered, highly distorted guitars, powered by the rhythm
section, drummer Colin Newton and bassist Bob Fairfouli. But neither
song adequately prepares the listener for the stunning third track,
"American English," a clever, hyper-aware critique of confessional
singer/songwriters: "Sing a song about myself/ Keep singing the song
about myself/ Not some invisible world," Woomble croons on the
chorus, his voice sounding a bit like that of Michael Stipe. "And I
won't tell you what this means, 'cause you already know," he teases
over a bed of acoustic guitars and piano, clinching it all on the
final verse with "And you'll find what you find when you find there's
nothing."
While nothing else on the album quite achieves the lofty heights of
"American English," it isn't for lack of trying. "I Never Wanted,"
"Live in a Hiding Place" and "Tell Me Ten Words" are all effective
ballads that show off the band's contemplative side, counterbalanced
by such pogo-inspiring raveups as "(I Am) What I Am Not," "Out of
Routine," and the extremely catchy "Stay the Same," with every
instrument pushed into the red. The album threatens to close on a
gentle note with "In Remote Part," which segues seamlessly into the
clamoring, aggressive "Scottish Fiction," in which 82-year-old Edwin
Morgan, poet laureate of Glasgow, narrates a few brief verses over
sweltering guitar.
If there's one thing that disappoints about The Remote Part,
it's that Idlewild's transmission seems to be slipping, as they
essentially stick to only two gears, fast/loud and slow/quiet,
throughout. They execute well in both modes, but the album seems
somewhat deliberate in its pacing, alternating so strictly between
anthemic rockers and acoustic ballads in the middle section. The
production, too, may seem a bit too clean, but it's still closer to
In Utero's clean grit than Nevermind's polished dirt.
The Remote Part marks a watershed third chapter in Idlewild's
young career, with the band strengthened by the recent challenges
they've overcome and — dare I say it? — matured by the
experience of touring the world. Idlewild are rapidly outgrowing
their influences as they forge a unique identity that leads me to
suspect that they may soon be inspiring a slew of like-minded new
bands.
Notes: Though already available in most parts of the world, The
Remote Part, like its predecessor, is (rather annoyingly) being
delayed in the United States by Idlewild's U.S. label, Capitol
Records, with expectation of an early-2003 release. Very highly
recommended are the first two British singles from this album, "You
Held the World in Your Arms" and "American English," as they offer a
combined total of eight very good B-sides, many of them from the
Stephen Street and Lenny Kaye sessions.
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