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Rating: It's time for assessments for the Scottish band Idlewild as well.
Big celebrations for their ten-year anniversary; after the release earlier this year of their new album of originals, "Make Another World," the first for Sanctuary after changing labels, Roddy Woomble and company release their first best of album, "Scottish Fiction - The Best Of 1997-2007."
The disc itself is a collection (unfortunately without any new material) of their greatest hits, followed by a compilation of b-sides and rarities ("A Distant History," released on October 29).
Idlewild therefore reassemble the puzzle of exactly ten years in the business and do so by showcasing that classy pop rock that has become their trademark (influences ranging from R.E.M. to The Smiths, across thirty years of English music and beyond), often not hesitating to highlight a pleasant "folkish" inclination.
The album opens significantly with their most important hit, the fantastic "You Held The World In Your Arms," taken from what is perhaps their most appreciated work (though probably not the best), "The Remote Part"; the riff immediately sticks in your head, Woomble's excellent performance and the great string accompaniment in the refrain and bridge have made it the identifying hit of the Scottish band. Perfect in every way, it’s a pop rock piece that few can pull off. The lackluster "No Emotion," the disappointing first single from the otherwise good "Make Another World," would frankly have been better left out. "When I Argue I See Shapes" (from 1998's "Hope Is Important," accompanied in this collection by the edgy "I'm A Message") shows that the R.E.M. lessons are well absorbed, with the addition of a backdrop of strong and captivating guitars, just as Idlewild had accustomed us to at the beginning of their career. "Roseability" is also a great track, managing to attack without being unpleasant or out of place in the economy of the Idlewild sound. "Love Steals Us From Loneliness" builds a wall of "smooth" and melodic guitars in support of an intense and masterful ballad; it's one of the three "representatives" (the other two being "I Understand It" and "El Captain") of the recent (and controversial) "Warning/Promises". "American English," the single "successor" to "You Held The World In Your Arms," draws much of its epic quality from the best of U2 (just listen to the vocal line crafted by Roddy), while "A Modern Way Of Letting Go" returns to bite with a frenzy reminiscent of early Placebo, the less electronic and more straightforward ones. "Let Me Sleep (Next To The Mirror)" and "In Remote Part/Scottish Fiction," as well as "Make Another World" (which closes the collection), weren't released as singles, but they certainly deserved such status. The best of R.E.M. (a band with which Idlewild are increasingly compared) pop up again in "As If I Hadn't Slept," and the good "Little Discourage" and "Live In A Hiding Place" complete the work.
In short, an excellent repertoire polished and re-presented beautifully through seventeen pop rock gems of great value; a collection that clearly illustrates how this band has reaped less than it actually deserves (as often happens).
If you like well-made pop rock, make yourself comfortable; you won't be disappointed.
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