Idlewild

Coming of age in the last days of Brit Pop's glory years (Oasis, Blur, Suede), Idlewild searched outside of the Brit Rock music tradition of Beatles, Kinks, Bowie, glam rock, and vaudeville to the western shores of America, finding themselves intoxicated by American indie and classic alt-rock. Early R.E.M., Pixies, Nirvana, and Slint records in tow, Hope Is Important is very much a love letter to their favorite bands, as spiky anthems such as "Captain," and "When I Argue I See Shapes" betray them as members of the Nevermind generation. Idlewild grows up and gets smart ("Roseability" references Gertrude Stein!) on their second album, a gorgeous mixture of jangle pop and heavy rock: 100 Broken Windows is a step up in songwriting quality, as melody takes precedence over noise, for great results. Sadly, they may have grown up too fast. The Remote Part (2002) sees the band coming of age a little too fast. Where earlier records showed vocalist Roddy Woomble as an engaging, idiosyncratic, and above all bravely intelligent lyricist, The Remote Part finds him settling for sweeping generalizations. The band follows suit, playing for big crowds with U2-style arena rock. -- Chris Ryan

From 2004's The New Rolling Stone Album Guide