Idlewild - 'The Remote Part' (Parlophone)
4/5
By: Toby L
Idlewild's career thus far in this world has seen continual highs and soaring peaks. A band hardly scared of progression, each album has seen them challenge their own abilities, artistic-endeavour and creativity; thus, it's only fitting that their true, commercial breakthrough LP - 'The Remote Part' - continues in such a fashion for the Scots four-piece.
Since the heady teenage-angsty days of their first mini-effort, 'Captain' - all the way back around four years ago - the group have somehow transformed from the dangerously raucous and shouty quartet that produced such growlers as 'You Just Have To Be Who You Are' to the purveyors of such epic balladry of 'You Held The World In Your Arms', the first strings-laden masterpiece-single to be lifted off of this, their fourth album to date.
Yet, they're all the more better off for such a natural transformation, for - although the continually 'wild days are now gone - instead, the group's songwriting encompasses a far more fulfilling and broad variety of textures and meanings, with frontman and lyricist Roddy Woomble having become a modern-day poet amongst mere posers.
This is why it's only correct that as their latest endeavour kicks off with the lush arrangements of the aforementioned 'You Held...' you soon find yourself locked within the sweaty, heavy confines of 'A Modern Way Of Letting Go', a turbo-charged potential single whose production from Dave Eringa (the Manics, etc.) is more hard-hitting than a punch to the face. Somewhat emphasising the group's potential, the sumptuous offering of 'American English' soon arrives, its moving lyrical sentiments (key line: 'You find what you find when you find there's nothing' - simple, yes, yet more poignant than a thousand of their fellow and current scenesters) mirroring the questions once uttered in classic Morrissey compositions.
... And the Smiths comparisons can't end there, Woomble's warm, endearing croak, Rod Jones' searing guitars, Bob Fairfoull's grisly bass and Colin Newton's precision drums occasionally forming the perfect 21st Century equivalent to the classic Mancs, as demonstrated within the singles themselves and their presently haphazardly floaty stage-presence during recent live-excursions. But couple such an attribute with the head-banging franticness of '(I Am) What I Am Not' or the juxtaposition mellowness of 'Live In A Hiding Place' and you've been rewarded with a record that could be one of 2002's finest - and certainly Idlewild's most rewarding and triumphant work to date.
So, as proven with this example, pushing the musical-boundaries, and at the same time managing not to alienate those already fond of such an act's back-catalogue, can exist - especially when looking to diversify and improve one's product for the good of evolution...
With 'The Remote Part', Idlewild can feel justified that, although they are still able to create a pleasing racket, the opportunity to also conjure up a more intricate and refined racket lies within their hands; a stalwart amongst overnight successes, Idlewild have produced, on this, enough moments for everyone to cherish.
Artists in this article: Idlewild
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