Idlewild can still rock
Idlewild are something of a Scottish institution, and arguably more successful than Holyrood. They're a band who started out with a pop/rock energy that seemed inexhaustible, their debut single being almost as grunge as Nirvana. This energy has been mellowing with time, but as "Warnings/Promises" shows, the transition is more like a fine wine developing than selling out.
Single, "Love Steals Us From Loneliness" is driven and full of aching harmonies. It's a really strong track that leads me to wonder why I'd ever doubted the band. "Welcome Home" is warm and well, welcoming with a lazy guitar solo thrown into the indifferent folk rock tune for added charm.
"I Want A Warning" is catchy and the talkative screeching electric guitar that punctuates the song is about as far from mellow as you can get. The lyrics are intelligent and striking, "history is made not repeated" and the heavy rhythm makes this a tight little rock stunner.
"I Understand It" is a return to their new-found folk influence, with a jangly, warm chorus and big harmonies. It sits well beside "As If I Hadn't Slept", which inspires the usual comparisons with REM's blend of poppy folk rock. Both of this pair are the kind of sweet, unassuming little tunes that get Idlewild accused of being hopelessly indie.
"Not Just Sometimes But Always" has the feel of a tender symphony, with violins swirling and touching lyrics, "If I was born the same day that you died/ should that make me try?" Personally, my favourite Woomble utterance is "Your thoughts are the strangest place that you've ever been/ stranger even than Los Angeles/ it's like a cinema where they never ask you to leave" from "The Space Between All Things", an edgy guitar-based number.
"Disconnected" is a sincere, angsty affirmation of awkwardness, something Idlewild hardly have a problem with, as this smooth, rippling tune shows.
It's a bit of a mixed bunch in terms of genre, but more far consistent in quality that their previous album "The Remote Part". Idlewild might no longer be punk and have grown up, but they're far from middle-aged in terms of style.