100 Broken Windows

by

Idlewild

Edit

The year's best release may very well have alighted on our shores by way of Edinburgh, Scotland, home to the punk-pop alchemists otherwise known as Idlewild. In "100 Broken Windows," lead vocalist Roddy Woomble and his band mates charge through an unmistakably indie music terrain with passion and brilliance to spare.

You'll be hard-pressed to find a review of "100 Broken Windows" that does not invoke Nirvana and/or REM. While the comparisons are eminently valid, Idlewild also harks back to the likes of Husker Du (one of Kurt Cobain's faves), with heart-on-the-sleeve anthems surging forward on the strength of fuzzy power chords, irresistible hooks and deft lyricism.

There is not a weak track in the lineup, from emotional buzz saws like "I Don't Have the Map" and "Actually It's Darkness" to more quietly introspective tracks like "Bronze Medal" and "Let Me Sleep (next to the mirror)." Even when Woomble invokes the spirit of Gertrude Stein ("Roseability") or possibly contemplates the insidious subversion of art by commercial formula ("These Wooden Ideas") the music's subtle rewards -- intelligent wordplay, get-up-and-dance melodies -- annihilate any risk of pretension.

Clocking in at just 38 minutes, "100 Broken Windows" is an exhilarating sprint to near musical perfection. By the time it takes you to the emotional finish line, you'll be winded, hunched over -- and wanting another listen.

I wanted to like this so much more than I do. There's real talent here; as noisy guitar bands with a pop edge go, Idlewild does it as well as anybody in 2001. But, unfortunately, they're doing it several years too late. This sort of thing has been done to death already, and I just can't find anything they're adding that makes Idlewild SOMETHING SPECIAL...you know, the kind of band you fall in love with.

This is a CD (and band) that when you're in exactly the right mood, if you happen to put it on, it might sound like a great album. But when you're out of that mood, you'd be very unlikely to put this on over "Nevermind," "New Day Rising," "Loveless," "Daydream Nation," or whatever.

But then again, maybe it's just me.