By Kieran Webber
The latter of the two singles pre-empting what is to be their 8th studio release, ‘Same Things Twice’ is a carefully balanced collaboration between old and new musical flavours. The Veteran Scottish Rockers have managed to survive the changes to the British music scene that have ostracised so many of their once-contemporaries, but a world where signed records and jaw dropping advances have been pushed aside by Instagram live streams and Twitter stand-offs – is there anything to show for the resilience of bands such as Idlewild?
Beginning with an exciting fusion of energy and uncertainty, the syncopated polyrhythms of drums and guitars instantly hurl the listener down into spiralling depths of chaos and confusion. Amongst these impenetrable walls of musical hypnosis, lies a lead guitar that slowly ascends above the madness, like a life raft to cling on to. With half an eye on the surface of the water, we’re shown a lot more of the song’s purpose. A build up arrangement and a chorus follow, but don’t exactly arrive with the same energy or audacity as the verse. Against the backdrop of an exciting introduction, the chorus is certainly a much more sobering experience than you’d like. The rather obvious chorus hook will please audiences faithful to the more vintage rock sound of the early noughties, but may fail to wield the attention of younger generations. Using the satisfactory pre chorus section as an example, it feels as if the retro rockers could have avoided the sterile power chords and the ceremony that dictates the tonality of these main sections.
‘Same Things Twice’ at times exposes the band’s inner desire to perhaps indulge in a more unorthodox sound. The verses are fresh and articulate, but the choruses linger and swamp the air, like an old stilton at the back of a fridge, the naive father avidly protesting “It’s still good cheese”, whilst the derelict remains of Shed Seven and Ash records collect dust in a nearby cabinet. With ‘Same Things Twice’, Idlewild have one foot in the door of the modern era, seemingly close to manifesting a style of music that could seriously compete with the volatile complex that is today’s music industry.
Listen to ‘Same Things Twice’ here:
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