Make Another World - Idlewild

...it as very much a make or break point in their career, W/P having been not too well received by a large portion of the fanbase due to a mellowing of the sound, becoming more melodic and slow paced, and less 'punk-y'. I personally was a fan of W/P, though it doesn't stand up as well as the earlier efforts, particlarly 'The Remote Part' and '100 Broken Windows'.

As soon as you put the CD on, the change from 'Warnings/Promises' couldn't ...
...death metal on us. 'In Competition for the Worst Time' is a good introduction to the album, fast-paced, loud guitars, just what everybody wanted.

'Everything (As It Moves)' follows in a similar vein, both tracks are good, though don't feel quite as natural as the early albums, in a way which suggests the band possibly were trying a little too hard to write another 'Roseability' or 'You Held the World In Your Arms'. Despite this, there's ... more

I'll start off by saying how Idlewild are one of my favourite bands ever, behind only Joy Division and perhaps Ikara Colt. So if this seems perhaps a little biased, that's probably why.

This is the 5th studio album from Idlewild (6th including the 'Captain' 6 track EP). As a follow up to 'Warnings/Promises', many fans viewed it as very much a make or break point in their career, W/P having been not too well received by a large portion of the fanbase due to a mellowing of the sound, becoming more melodic and slow paced, and less 'punk-y'. I personally was a fan of W/P, though it doesn't stand up as well as the earlier efforts, particlarly 'The Remote Part' and '100 Broken Windows'.

As soon as you put the CD on, the change from 'Warnings/Promises' couldn't be much more obvious without requiring them to go all death metal on us. 'In Competition for the Worst Time' is a good introduction to the album, fast-paced, loud guitars, just what everybody wanted.

'Everything (As It Moves)' follows in a similar vein, both tracks are good, though don't feel quite as natural as the early albums, in a way which suggests the band possibly were trying a little too hard to write another 'Roseability' or 'You Held the World In Your Arms'. Despite this, there's no major fault in either track. The lyrics are typical of Idlewild, slightly abstract and poetic.

The third track, and first proper single, is 'No Emotion'. This, again is a similar type of song to the first two in that it's based around a simple but effective guitar hook and a good, relatively high tempo - but strays from the path a little with the addition of some almost-disco-like keyboard hooks, and a chorus which is simplistic ("In whatever we say we show no emotion/we show no emotion/and we kick back into a world of motion/we show, we show no emotion") but very catchy. It's from this point that the album begins to feel a little more finished, the guitar solo at the end of the song being very well written also.

The title track follows, and is easily compared to a few other songs from the band's earlier work ('Satan Polaroid', 'I'm Happy to be Here Tonight', etc.) but to do so wouldn't do it justice, it's a great song in its own right. Slower than the previous three tracks, with more of a focus on the melodic side of the band, a simple bass line which drives the song along and some delicate guitar play coming together as good back up for Roddy's voice. The voice of Mr. Woomble is one of this band's greatest assets, in my opinion one of the best in rock today.

'If It Takes You Home' is up next, and is my favourite on the album. This was released as a very limited edition single a few months prior to the album release, just in time to give the fans a glimps of what to expect before their last tour before the album. Sounds the most like '100 Broken Windows' era Idlewild, with energetic guitars and a real energy to the song as a whole.

'Future Works' is probably the best lyrically out of this selection of tracks, showing the more sensible and thoughtful side of the band. Musically it's not the most innovative, but is very listenable and I have a feeling it will grow to become one of my favourites.

'You and I Are Both Away' starts deceptively slowly, before the main riff kicks in and the song takes off for the verse. In places this sounds quite like 'El Capitan', one of the few times this album is reminiscent of the previous release.

'A Ghost in the Arcade' is my second favourite track on this album, the lyrics are very obtuse in the way that those of many of Idlewild's best songs are, ("I watch you walk/and you turn and see yourself", "Hey alibi, let me shout out your name/there's a ghost in the arcade/there's a ghost in the arcade"), but the guitars sound fantastic with a great tone and with a fantastic arpeggiated background (not entirely sure whether it comes from a keyboard/synth or a guitar under heavy use of effects).

'Once In Your Life' again slows the pace a little, with the more poetic lyrics, though a powerful distorted guitar plays between verses very effectively. The change between loud and quiet musical dynamics works very well, allowing Roddy to show off his voice while not limiting the capabilities of the instruments. The fact that singer Roddy Woomble recently released a folk album (featuring many members of and friends of the band playing on it) will come as no surprise to those who hear this song, the bass playing particularly sounding quite folk-influenced - though this is by no means a folk song and would have been quite out of place on Roddy's album.

'Finished it Remains' rounds out the 10 tracks, it's possibly one of the weaker tracks on the album, though time will tell whether I hold that opinion a few months down the line. It's certainly not up to the standard of the closer from 'The Remote Part', but then very little is - 'In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction' being, for me, the best end to any album I've ever heard. 'Finished it Remains', however, seems a little unsure whether it wants to be a fast-paced rock song or a slower number, fluctuating between the two. The second half of the track is, to be fair, much better, as it gains a real sense of urgency, before again dying down for the last few seconds.

In terms of other Idlewild releases, this sounds most like 'The Remote Part', and is certainly among the more accessible of the band's output, and while it doesn't quite hit the heights of '100 Broken Windows' or 'The Remote Part' it's definitely worth acquiring for anybody who likes the previous work and probably for many who are unfamiliar with the band.  

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