Important Words - Gene Vincent

Advantages: The start of something wonderful
Disadvantages: Only the start of something wonderful

...time as "Blur" came out, the Idlewild mini-album "Captain" surfaced. It was quite simply an energetic burst of aural pleasure. When Idlewild finally came up with a full-length debut it wasn't quite what I had yearned for. Firstly because 'Captain' had heightened my anticipation and secondly because the album title and the song titles were brilliant. "Hope Is Important" is certainly energetic and sometimes hits greatness with songs like 'When I Argue I See Shapes' and the staggeringly beautiful "Low Light". But it is also extremely messy, badly produced and very unprofessional. For some albums this works a treat, like "Pinkerton" by Weezer, but I think that just recording Idlewild's superb live sound is not as good an idea as it may have seemed for a first LP. It worked well on "Captain", but fails a little here. Songs like "You've Lost... Read review

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Advantages: Passionate, noisy, anthemic. Especially 'When I argue I see shapes', 'Everyone say's your so fragile' and 'I'm a message'
Disadvantages: The few more reflective moments, while still good, don't satisfy quite as much as the standout heavier songs. More progress was made on this front in their next album '100 broken windows' (also reviewed by me)

...After financing their first single ‘Queen of troubled teens’ with imaginative use of student loans, Idlewild went on to become Edinburgh’s brightest young musical hopes. ‘Hope is Important’, their second album, successfully developed upon their first (‘Captain’) in that it kept the fiery passion that impressed critics such as Steve Lamacq while also constructing more complex levels out of the ‘wall of sound’ they had previously been known for. The rhythm section of Bob Fairfoull (Bass) and Colin Newton (Drums) drives the faster songs forward relentlessly, while Rod Jones (Guitar) and Roddy Woomble (Vocals) complement each other with their impressive and impassioned riffs and phrasing. If you’ve been introduced to Idlewild through ‘100 broken windows’ (which I’ve also reviewed) then you can expect something a little different from... Read review

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Advantages: There best
Disadvantages: The inlay

...It has been a while since I wrote in a category outside of Ciao Café but here we go. I will see if I can remember how to write a proper consumer opinion once again. Following on from my review of ‘Just Enough Education to perform’ by the Stereophonics here I review their first album ‘Word Gets Around’. ~ History ~ Although I have written this before I will say it again for the persons not in the know. In the early to mid-nineties the band went under the guise of ‘Tragic Love Company’ having been formed many years earlier as kids. In 1996 the band picked up there first record deal. The band consists Kelly Jones, Richard Jones and Stuart Cable. In August of 1997 they released this album ‘Word Gets Around’. After this album they went onto release ‘Performance and Cocktails’ (I might get time to review this sometime during... Read review

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