Idlewild - Warnings/Promises

Idlewild's European fans have probably made peace with the fact they've moved from cult favorite to consistent hitmakers since the success of 2002's The Remote Part. Warnings/Promises is a step in the same direction, the work of a polished radio-ready rock band, and if I had to sum it up in a word, it'd be "comfortable": Comfortable in writing calculated hits like "Love Steals Us From Loneliness" or "I Understand It"; comfortable filling an arena with songs like "I Want a Warning"; comfortable with the R.E.M comparisons that have followed them throughout their career-- on "Not Just Sometimes But Always" Roddy Woomble is a dead ringer for Michael Stipe.
But "comfortable" is far from worthy. Warnings is Idlewild's first record without original bassist Bob Fairfoull, and their first written as a five-piece-- they now include a second guitarist and bassist culled from their touring band (Allan Stewart and Gavin Fox). It's neither a shock that they've defanged their sound nor that they followed The Remote Part with a record that's even more sedate. Fast tempos and distorted guitars don't always equate to passionate performances, but nothing on Warnings/Promises quite does. These songs chart easy territory: "Love Steals Us From Loneliness" has the tried-and-true quiet/soft dynamic and some background oohs and aahs, so there's your single. "Welcome Home" is the acoustic ballad that must follow, and "I Want a Warning" is the swaggering rocker that brings it up a notch after that (though it's one of Warning's better performances). "As if I Hadn't Slept" adds a dash of pedal steel to it's clean guitars to signify panoramic country-pop, and "El Captain" throws some misplaced disco rhythms as a coda to it's piano-driven radio baiting.
To their credit, Woomble's melodies on "As If I Hadn't Slept" or "I Understand It" are exquisite, but they're dulled by ordinary arrangements, and he's leaning harder on Stipe here than ever with his delivery and harmonies. Songwriting chemistry is a tricky thing, and while having two or three competing voices can push writers to new heights, a group of five here leads to songs that are merely passable. Bottom line, if you've got five songwriters ready to take on the world and the best you can give us is "Love Steals Us From Happiness", this is an unfortunate let down.


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