Review Summary: Scottish indie-rockers Idlewild's folk-influenced fourth effort might not be their most accessible, but it's certainly not without it's charms.
It would seem that every band that has managed to carve out a lengthy and successful career will release, at some point in that time, an album that ends up almost universally maligned; a collection of songs that truly divides opinion among both the critics and the fans; a real "runt of the litter" affair. And I'm not talking about early albums or EPs here either - almost every band will record a few uneven efforts in their formative years, before they find their footing in whatever genre or genres they choose to deal in. The album I'm referring to is usually, and in the case of Idlewild's
Warnings/Promises, something of a departure from previous material, and an experiment involving some new influences.
To see why
Warnings/Promises is such an anomaly, it has to be viewed in the context of the band's discography. Idlewild's early early efforts (the
Captain EP in '97, and the following year's
Hope Is Important) are raucous affairs, mixing the more abrasive end of the indie-rock spectrum with the energy and aggression of punk rock and the band's predilection toward spiky pop melodies. Two years later, the album often viewed as their best,
100 Broken Windows, saw them lose a little of the youthful vigour and replace it with more refined songwriting and a more measured, yet no less passionate delivery. The breathtaking and yet bleak atmosphere of the countryside in their native Scotland seemed to influence the album's sound and accompanying artwork. They followed this up in 2002 with
The Remote Part, an album whose polished production, increased use of synthesiser guitar effects, and even poppier melodies built upon the signature sound the band had established, and pushed them further into the mainstream, without sacrificing any artistic integrity. So, almost a decade into their career, and after a string of successful singles and tours, both headlining and supporting the likes of
Pearl Jam, the band reconvened the Scottish highlands to begin writing for their fourth album. It was there that they began something of an unexpected left-turn following the departure, prior to the album's sessions, of punk enthusiast bassist Bob Fairfoull, and the subsequent arrival of short-lived replacement Gavin Fox and new second guitarist Allan Stewart, by incorporating vocalist Roddy Woomble's love of folk music...
Anyone familiar with their earlier b-sides would be less surprised at this folksy turn, but
Warnings/Promises sees the band fully embrace this influence - almost every track here is awash with acoustic guitars, whether in the foreground, or as an extra texture, as well as a heavy presence of piano and strings in many songs. Generally speaking, this textured approach to songwriting makes for much greater intricacy, resulting in the kind of songs that reveal new nuances and hooks with each successive listen. Maybe this is why many fans dislike the album; it's certainly understandable why one might be shocked upon first listen where, instead of the usual energetic affair, the listener is faced with generally slower tempos and much less immediate melodies than they'd come to expect. However, despite the album being much less immediate on the whole, that isn't to say there aren't certain tracks that will grab you straight from the word go. Second single "I Understand It" is an upbeat, almost
REM-esque piece, with an insistent gentle-yet-pounding beat, infectious vocal melodies and some anthemic harmonies. It's easy to imagine it being written as a simple folksy song during the sessions in Scotland, and being given a rather more cinematic and poppy makeover during the recording sessions in Los Angeles, resulting in the version we hear on the album. Retaining a little more of the windswept mood of the highlands is "Welcome Home," a gentle, melodic number with sweeping melodies, an ever present swirling acoustic riff, and a heavily distorted guitar solo which should, by rights, sound completely out of place, and yet somehow slots in perfectly.
On that note, it's worth mentioning guitarist Rod Jones' contributions here. He's always been an incredibly creative guitarist, utilizing a multitude of guitar sounds, effortlessly combining distorted and extremely dissonant parts with swathes of melody, and dealing mainly in the middle ground between rhythm and lead playing. Rather than shoehorn his style into the band's new sound, he's adapted his playing admirably; just listen to the subtlety of the guitar parts in opener and first single "Love Steals Us from Loneliness" or the intro to "Blame It on Obvious Ways." It's a testament to his versatility as a (vastly underrated) guitarist that, on an album where the guitar is rarely at the forefront of the sound, his parts are still noticable and creative. That said, there are a few rockier songs where he gets to flex his rock muscles - "I Want a Warning" has an incredibly distorted riff that lurches along like a drunk zigzagging down a wide pavement, and "The Space Between All Things" has some interesting guitarwork, not to mention one of my favourite chorus vocal melodies on the whole album.
It has to be said that the vocal melodies are one of the high points of
Warnings/Promises - there's a noticeable improvement in Roddy's singing, and the way he lets his accent come through without ever exaggerating it is admirable. With the vocals being at the forefront, most of the tracks build up towards large choruses, in which it seems the whole band join in for backups; "As If I Hadn't Slept" and the "The Space..." for example, have some of the most impressive choruses to grace the album. However, what matters most is that Woomble's vocals are passionate and emotional throughout, strongly enunciating his introspective and insightful lyrics. His performance on windswept rock number "Too Long Awake" is particularly heartfelt, and doubly effective when the song is reprised after a gap at the end of the album, re-imagined as a more upbeat acoustic number, and a bright optomistic ending to a fairly emotionally heavy album.
It's easy to see why
Warnings/Promises is seen as the odd album out in Idlewild's career so far, and while few would argue it's their best, it remains an interesting detour in their journey, a varied and heartfelt collection of songs which, given enough time and repeat listens, will win you over with it's simple folksy charms, and eventually envelop you in the many intricacies that make it such an enjoyable listen.
4/5
