IDLEWILD
Make Another World
Sanctuary
· Idlewild’s return to form is my second favourite album of the year.
In the sometimes-poncy world of Brit pop, Idlewild always had more balls than most. Maybe it’s their Scottish heritage. Maybe it’s their punk roots buried just below the surface. Either way, they can deliver a heartfelt ballad with the best of them, but also haven’t forgotten how to rock out.
It may have seemed like they did on their last album, which featured only two standout tracks amid a bunch of filler, but on their fifth effort, Make Another World, Idlewild is back. Vocalist Roddy Womble makes some questionable lyrical choices, but it’s hard to fault the arrangements. The first half of Make Another World is crammed with adrenaline-fuelled rockers, culminating in album standout "If it Takes You Home." When they gear down for the saccharine weeper "Future Works," the trumpet solo hints at indulgence, but after that four-minute detour they are back on track. From that point on it’s nimble, bubbling bass lines, surprisingly clever wanky guitar solos and an ominous epic in the form of "Once in Your Life." Even the sappy ’50s pop number "Lookin’ For a Love" works. The record doesn’t pack the furious wallop of 2002’s The Remote Part, but there is enough pop hook and sheer rock brilliance to put this album in a world of its own.
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