 Satan Polaroid was the song that turned me on to Idlewild. When I first heard it on Radio 1's Evening Session I knew I had found my new favourite band (at least for that week).
Skip a couple of years and 2000's 100 Broken Windows had the band chiselling their angular rock into a stunning shapes. While they weren't breaking any new ground, 100 Broken Windows was without doubt one of the albums of the year.
Fast forward to 2002 and the Scottish noiseniks have come up with The Remote Part, their fourth CD. While I've already been impressed with the singles - American English especially - for me this is where the love affair ends . . .
So what's gone wrong? Well nothing really . . . but there was so much to live up to, and I can't help but be disappointed. You Held The World In Your Arms is cool. American English is one of the best songs Idlewild have ever recorded. Live In A Hiding Place is so in tune with American radio that it could be the track to break them.
The rest? The rest is merely good. A Modern Way Of Letting Go: Good. Out Of Routine: Good. In Remote Part / Scottish Fiction: Good. Idlewild used to be great. For a band capable of so much more, good just ain't good enough. :: Rowan Shaeffer | 
