Idlewild - Make Another World (Sanctuary)
4/5
By: Alex Lee Thomson
Idlewild are one of those bands that you have your suspicion everybody likes, yet you know are never going to make it truly, astronomically 'big', almost classing their un-inevitable rise to fame as a sign of the apocalypse... along with the death of Eastenders' Dot Cotton and Celebrity Big Brother having a housemate with integrity.
With their new album though, 'Make Another World', the true indie lords (and we say that as they've been releasing from their own label since 1997) have returned to an earlier all-out rock sound that's making them sound, well, bloody good again. There are hints of contemporary newcomers Kubichek! in 'No Emotion' as we find some speedy drum loops popping up throughout the melody, with a baffling guitar riff that's dirtier than this band have ever dared to go before. Like R.E.M., Idlewild aren't scared to make the music they want to and 'Make Another World' is proof, hopefully turning a lot of heads back in their direction as ,for a sixth studio release, it's remarkably fresh and demonstrates that the band as a group are still very much experimenting.
The title track has a harsh and baron draw familiar to previous hits such as 'Love Steals Us From Loneliness' but without the assault of merciless guitar beating, though following number 'If It Takes You Home' quickly fires up the mid-album with almost Feeder-like articulacy and sets the LP ablaze with a hot, steamy might. Idlewild's Celtic influences come out in 'Future Works' a wee bit and imagery of sweeping hills and river-forged mountains trickle through your mind as yet more experimentation occurs, this time with some epoch trumpets and martial drums.
'You And I Are Both Away' is purely masterful, elevating its neighbouring tracks to a vast state of superiority while slight vibrations of The Proclaimers are heard through amusingly enthralling vocals that grasp you by the ear with dominance, authority and grace. Again, this sounds more like a debut from one of the year's younger ensembles, almost casting aside all the history that Idlewild have worked hard to create, but in a just and well executed way. Instead of using their previous few releases as a blueprint they've pretty much gone back to the drawing board and scrupulously designed this masterpiece based on what inspires them today as well as in the past.
'Once In Your Life' puts Roddy in a whole new light as at one point you start to believe you're hearing a lost Morrissey album, and get carried away by the captivating vocals and Slash-esque guitar licks that discharge throughout, spluttering into the wretched heart of the song. Any one of these ballads could be a single, yet the album flows with the fluidity of a concept piece, melting into a blur of compulsive engrossment. By time 'Finished It Remains' kicks in, you've already committed yourself to putting the album on loop for at least the next few hours and as the last breath escapes from the anxious and heady finale, there's really nowhere else to go but back to the start. In fairness though, with not that much of its mix held back for endurance it might start to lose impact after a few plays, but like any well made album it's sure to be a worthwhile investment, and only time will tell how well it sits on the shelf alongside their other five records, some of which are amongst the best indie records in recent times.
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