Idlewild – Post Electric Blues

A guitar screams open Post-Electric Blues and you are instantly teleported to the hair bandy 1980s. Then Roddy Woomble’s voice kicks in and you’re jolted forward and violently deposited in the post-grunge scene of the mid-to-late 90s.
 
The tracks on Idlewild’s newest album belong to one of two categories: ‘America in the 1990s’ or ‘o hai v r Scottish.’ In the first category I can hear the bands that rose in the middle of the 90s in the wake of Kurt Cobain’s suicide. Yes, Idlewild came up around that time as well, or at least shortly after, but they’re not American. I realise this should have no bearing on my judgement of them and it really wouldn’t if it wasn’t for the fact that on half of the tracks they do sound like they’re from the States.
 
But for every ‘Post-Electric,’ the song that will have you convinced Local H are being held hostage in Scotland, there’s a mellow ‘Take Me Back To The Islands’ which comes equipped with a mournful fiddle that makes lyrics about a sea answering an island seem to be placed in a gloomy grey Scottish landscape. It is highly unlikely that the sea and island in question are the sort to include palm trees, bright cloudless skies and alcoholic drinks with umbrellas.
 
‘Dreams of Nothing’ is the song that’s on repeat, but I am not sure that is something I should admit to. It is the perfect candidate to exemplify the American aspect of this album. It throws out some powerful 90s flashbacks along the lines of bands like the Toadies, Seven Mary Three and even a smidgen of Fuel and Puddle of Mudd. It’s easily my favourite track on the album. But then, the 90s are my kryptonite and I thrive on their nostalgia. I am aware, however, that we are not in them anymore. We’re very nearly in what will soon be called ‘the tens.’ So why are we living in the past?

If there was more than one song that fit the criteria, I’d make a third category and call it ‘Now.’ The only song that makes the cut is ‘Circles in Stars’ which harkens to the current indie-dance, indie-pop, electro-dance, 80s-inspired whatever-you-call-it scene that is dominating the music industry. Right from the sparkly name to the quivers and tinkles and relative minimalism in the song itself, it seems to channel a bit of … brace yourself … Passion Pit.

In the end, Idlewild’s sound remains as simplistically appealing as it ever was, but you’d hope for some slight adjustments to show there has been some acceptance of a change in era and as evidence that this album doesn’t consist of tracks leftover from recording sessions in the past decade. Ironically (or unexpectedly?) one of the songs on this album is ‘Take Me Back In Time’ – they didn’t really need to say it out loud.

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