This may be the finest retrospective since Gene's best-of 'Collection' in 2006. All of the songs on this album are killer and make you appreciate how wonderful of a band Idlewild are. If you only buy one greatest hits collection this year, I would get this album. Now that they've done a best-of and a raririties companion, I'd love for a live album to be next. Idlewild rocks.
What a great mix. I'm a fan of all things Scottish to begin with, for as we all well know if it's not Scottish it's crap, so I got a lovely surprise when one of my favorite online writers, Drew Magary of KSK and Deadspin, linked to the song "Scottish Fiction." Now that I'm almost 40, I don't jump on new music unless it's recommended by someone with taste I trust, and I'm glad I took this chance.
The singer reminds me a helluva lot of Aaron Lewis of Staind, and no matter how you feel about nu-metal, that boy's got some pipes. So imagine if you took that powerful voice and put it in the service of really well-done pop songs instead of the less-challenging, less dynamic stuff Staind does? Got an idea?
Check out "Scottish Fiction," and "Let Me Sleep." Gorgeous songs that give you an idea of the harmonies and power chords and lovely acoustic stuff captured on this disc. Catchy-ass songs by a great singer who sounds like he's telling the truth. That's all I need in my music.
Over the course of their five album career Scotlands Idlewild have swung dramatically from early REM indie-pop to stadium filling torch songs and this very fine 'Best Of...' captures both elements to very good effect. The one problem I always had with Idlewild album releases was the inevitible filler, one good song followed by three or four not bad, but not so good songs. This streamlined collection cuts out all the dross and goes straight to the heart of the matter. All killer and no filler? Pretty much. Bookended by two songs from their last album Make Another World which saw them embrace their earlier, noisier material this 17 track collection covers all the ground inbetween and serves as both the perfect introduction to them and the only Idlewild record you'll need. From the straight up indie of 'When I Argue, I See Shapes' echoing to good effect fellow scots Teenage Fanclub, to the anthemic 'American English' this record makes you realise just how damn good Idlewild could have or possibly can be if only they maintained consistency. This is undoubtedly a great album and Idlewild deserve a place in Scottish music history but rest assured that after buying this album you don't need to investigate further.
