Idlewild

1.25

I'd prefer Walking Wounded over this, literally and metaphorically.

I love their later electronic stuff but this easy listening stuff does nothing for me. It's largely inoffensive but I don't connect at all.

I first heard about this band in a Todd in the Shadows review and remember enjoying the song he clipped, and remember it sounding trip-hoppy, but other than that track, everything I've heard from this band sounds like this record. So yeah, I went in originally (Not for this record but the band in general) expecting a trip-hop vibe and I definitely did not get it, haha. This music wouldn't sound out of place as waiting music or in a soap opera. That isn't to say those are criticisms of the music, that's just the fact of the matter.

I will say, the amount of 1's this record is getting in the reviews both surprise me, and don't. In no universe is this a 1/5 record, it's just too good. The sheer quality of the songwriting is amazing, so many great little ideas, licks, bass notes, etc. all over this thing. But on the other hand, the amount of 1/5s does not surprise me at all in the sense it reminds me that it's sometimes a bigger crime to be boring than it is to be bad. Because at least with bad, you have something to talk about, to have fun with ripping into something. With something that's boring, even talking about it is boring (Although there are some good one liners in the reviews. I liked the "Everything But The Tunes" one).

That said, I don't think this record is necessarily boring, it's just a victim of it's style. There's no real upbeat song to engage the listener, and it quickly becomes background music. Every last track on this album is a slow ballad, with maybe a tune or two evoking a slight tropical vibe to get you out of the dirge of feeling like you're listening to the credits of Days of Our Lives.

For my tastes, this is a 3/5. It's not something I'd ever go back to, or the type of music I'd ever listen to, but it's just too good to be getting all these 1s and 2s. There's too many unique, little ideas in every song.
Definitely one of those, if this were up my alley, it'd be an *exquisite* record type situations. For what it is, it is damn near perfect, just not my vibe personally.

(I'll reserve my opinion for when I get the other EBTG album on the generator, but one record from them feels enough, haha. Lastly, shoutout to the name Everything But The Girl. That's a great name for a band).

Edit: I'm an idiot, and the Todd in the Shadows review was about EBTG (originally thought he mentioned them in passing). Also an idiot in that the song, Missing, is not trip hop, and its closer to a 90s EDM type thing, although Todd does compare it to Trip Hop even though it really isn't.

Meh.

Put me to sleep

At first I thought: a little too clean, low energy, some pop clichés like the smoky sax solos and drum programming. But some of these songs were really touching, clever, and they really sound good even if it's not my favorite style. Tracy Thorne's has a lush, expressive voice. Enjoyable easy listening, kinda jazzy (I guess). Just the opposite of challenging. Pretty good.

I remember Everything But The Girl feeling quirky and a little different back in the nineties, so I came to Idlewild expecting something with a bit of edge. Instead, it falls quite flat for me.

The album leans heavily into soft, middle of the road ballads that feel safe and overly restrained. There is a gentle, understated style running through it, but very little that truly grabs the attention. I found myself zoning out for much of the listen, with tracks blending into one another without a standout hook or moment.

I can appreciate the clean production and Tracey Thorn’s smooth, controlled vocal, but as a complete record it feels lifeless rather than intimate. It is hard for me to see why this would land on a must hear list when there are so many more dynamic albums from the era.

Favourite track: None really stood out.
Least favourite: Difficult to choose as everything felt similarly subdued and forgettable.
Album artwork: A nice, nostalgic cover that captures their late eighties image well

I lost any and all manhood after that

Meh, more 80's music that I am unable to differentiate from other 80's music. I feel like it should be two stars, but I can't say anything bad about it. I just don't care if I ever hear it again.

Kiinnostava ja monipuolinen levy sovituksiltaan. 3.5/5

Phew, how cloying and boring. Even Tracey Thorn's good voice didn't make a difference. I didn't have to listen to this album and won't do so again. 3/5

Realistically, I would love to hang this directly at a 3.5, because I don’t think it’s quite good enough for a 4, but I do think it’s better than a 3, so a 4 it is.

My immediate comparison that comes to mind is “Nick of Time” by Bonnie Raitt, in terms of the general structure & theming of the album. Hell, even instrumentally & vocally, I’d say there’s a lot of similarities. I bounced hard off of Nick of Time, even though it’s a totally technically sound album, simply because the luster of its soundscapes faded away really quickly, and the whole thing ended up feeling too plain.

This album nearly falls into that same trap, but manages to avoid it by doing one simple thing that Bonnie Raitt didn’t: even if the luster does fade away after enough time, it knows how to change up its instrumentation mid-song in such a way that the luster returns. To put it more bluntly, this album succeeds simply in feeling bigger, and selling its listener on that, without feeling overdone. I found the instrumentation here to have a bit of grandeur that wasn’t present on that Bonnie Raitt album, and it felt like it came more naturally. Maybe I’m just a sucker for the more sophisticated style this album gives off (hence the genre title of Sophisti-pop on Wikipedia), but compared to Nick of Time, I felt more captivated by each track, just on account of the instrumentation. Some points off for the drum machine though; some real drums would’ve made a few of these tracks pop off a lot more.

Thankfully, Tracey Thorn has an absolutely lovely voice that overrides a lot of my complaints about the drums; super reminiscent of Celine Dion when she goes into her more ballad-y tones, but her control just glides on a lot of these instrumentals for me. The biggest knock I can give to this album is the same thing others have echoed; a lot of these tracks do boil down to feel pretty similar, no matter how much the instrumentation or vocals hide it – there are some great lyrical moments on a few tracks (I really liked Lonesome For A Place I Know), but a lot of the tracks are lyrically bland enough that it becomes noticeable.

Hence, the 3.5 that I’m going to begrudgingly bump up to a 4; I can understand how someone might give this a 2 or a 1, because it might be boring to ears more attuned to metal/rock, or more poppier 80s stuff ala MJ or Cyndi Lauper or the like, but for my tastes, the calmer yet controlled tone of this album clicked really nicely. I don’t think it’s that great of an album, and just from the tone of Tracey Thorn’s voice, I have to imagine there’s a more captivating Everything But The Girl album that could’ve been on the list, but I enjoyed this one enough – it’s a fun listen, and if nothing else, it’s remarkably smooth.

(P.S.: It would’ve been a 3 without the sax, probably. Sue me.)

This is ok, bit not particularly memorable; I prefer their later stuff that's more electronic; I'd put Walking Wounded on the list over this. Their recent album was pretty great too.

Opens with the amazing cover of "I Don't Wan To Talk About It" and then.... *Fart Noise*

Honestly, I hate albums that put the objectively best song as track 1, the rest of the album is just a slow speed skid after that. Blowing your load with 40 minutes left to fill is the worst thing any artist can do.

Very dull, and a few nice moments can't save it.

Bo-ring

Basic light pop music, I get a retro country feel on some of the tracks. Enjoyed the singing. Feels like music you would hear in a hotel lobby or department store.

I hadn't heard of Everything But the Girl before. They are the musical pair of Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, and their style is called sophisti-pop. The subgenre emerged from the new wave of the 80s, using electronic keyboards, synthesizers, perfectionist recording, and most importantly atmosphere.

Understanding what sophisti-pop is helped me understand why I enjoyed this album. The production is pristine even if dated, as Ben and Tracey trade sultry vocals as the session musicians create the necessary ambiance to make this album pleasant to the ears with just enough flourishes to keep it an engaging listen.

I get that this style of music might not be as energetic for everyone, but I can walk away from meeting this album halfway and enjoying it. Give it a chance.

Das Album ist eine Mischung aus Sophisti-Pop, Indie-Pop und Jazz-Pop. Das Album bietet eine interessante Mischung aus akustischen Instrumenten, Synthesizern und Drum-Machines, was für eine abwechslungsreiche Klanglandschaft sorgt.
Die Texte behandeln alltägliche Themen wie Familie, Beziehungen und das Aufwachsen in den Vororten, was dem Album eine persönliche Note verleiht. Einige Songs neigen dazu, ineinander überzugehen, was das Album stellenweise etwas monoton erscheinen lässt. Die Produktion und der Einsatz von 80er-Jahre-Drums und Synthesizern versetzen den Hörer in eine andere Zeit - spannend.