100 Broken Windows [ENHANCED]

Idlewild

Product Details

• Audio CD (March 13, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 9, 2000
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Enhanced
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00004R9EN
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (71 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #166,944 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Edinburgh's noise merchants have stepped through the looking glass with this newest release. While harmony and traditional song structure used to play second fiddle to their anguished cries and hearty gusts of guitar squall, 100 Broken Windows displays a more mature quartet: still edgy but wonderfully tuneful. It's a formula that's less "Sex Pistols for students," as they've been previously described, and more "R.E.M. for street punks." That comparison seems inevitable, given lead vocalist Roddy Woomble's passionate delivery of cloudy-clever lyrics, but plenty of other influences come to mind throughout as well: exhilarating, throaty Nirvana-esque sing-a-longs ("Roseability," "Idea Track," "Actually It's Darkness") and emotive Fugazi-like stormers ("Listen to What You've Got," "Rusty"). But these 12 tracks are thoroughly the band's own and ultimately live well beyond any easy points of reference. --Bob Michaels

Product Description
Second major label full length from the Scottish punk rock revival act. Includes the singles 'Actually It's Darkness' & 'Little Discourage'. 12 tracks in all. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Punk Energy, Power Pop Sensibility, July 13, 2001

By	"unionlarry" (Farmington, CT United States) - See all my reviews

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars probably a classic - and a bargain at 10 bucks, March 26, 2001

By	"maximumcash2" (el paso, texas United States) - See all my reviews

I find it hard to review this album simply because it is tough to categorize, but i wouldn't voice my opinion if i didn't love it or hate it, and i definitely love it. this cd seems split between a softer(pop) and harder(punk) side - both being present in almost all of the songs. Regardless of style, the melodies, however, are what make this album a winner . i can understand the REM comparisons and i feel a little bit of a Smiths/Gene vibe("Let me sleep")that is altogether welcome and refreshing. Yet there is a very strong "american" feel to this album as well, making it a refreshing break from earlier U.K. releases such as Badly Drawn Boy, Coldplay, and Doves (all of which are very good). It must be the way that they shift between restrained emotional(but never sappy) introspection and heavy unrestrained screaming hooks(that almost reminds me of At the Drive In) that make this album special. This is the kind of music i wish would get radio play instead of all that Limp Biskit "kiddie metal" and Vertical Horizon "cheese rock" drowning the airwaves. Buy it for the undiluted melody that jumps out of every song, there's not a disappointing track on the whole album.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Angry Scots + Weird Lyrics = Goodness, October 3, 2001

By	drew m (maryland United States) - See all my reviews

Here's a... CD well worth your while. Idlewild's comprised of four Scottish guys who've apparently decided to vent their anger through some pretty loud (and melodious) guitar playing and lyrics that dare you to figure out what on God's green earth they mean. No matter, the album doesn't miss a note. From the opening scorcher of "Little Discourage," the band has perfected the soft verse/angry-yet-tuneful chorus that seemed to disappear with the rest of guitar-driven rock in the mid-to-late nineties. It's refreshing to hear it again. But don't mistake Idlewild for Bush or any other British Nirvana clone. This is passionate rock with real anger and hardness behind it. Even when Idlewild slows down, as on "Let Me Sleep," the songs are sincere without going into that wuss-power-ballad area.

But it's the rockers you'll stick around for. The standouts are "Discourage," "These Wooden Ideas," "Actually it's Darkness," and my personal favorite "Idea Track." But really, none of the songs miss. It's great to hear some straight ahead rock coming from across the pond. If only American bands would get back on it...