Unlike a lot of indie rock snobs, I love it when some obscure band makes the big time. This isn’t to say I’m not a music snob, I most certainly am, but I part company with my snooty brethren when it comes to wishing that your favorite band stays obscure. I like being in on the secret first, whether it was Green Day or Death Cab For Cutie. And I like watching movies or TV and being able to recognize the background music. Hey! That’s the Black Keys on the Victoria’s Secret ad! Scorcese’s opening up The Departed with the Dropkick Murphys!
I admit some bands are meant to stay obscure. No one is going to rush out and buy the incoherent screaming of the Blood Brothers. I like it, but I can’t see them on MTV. But other bands seem like they are just waiting for their big break. Fountains of Wayne was like that for years, until “Stacy’s Mom” sold five kajillion copies.
Which brings me to Idlewild. Idlewild is one of my favorite bands, and they’ve always been on the cusp of mainstream acceptance. A long time ago, they were the punk band you could get your non-punk friends to listen to. The lyrics were clever, they actually had some hooks, and their lead singer sounded like the Scottish REM. Heck, they even had some slow songs.
They got signed to a major label. Their album charted. OK, it wasn’t top ten or anything, but it was selling. Their sound mellowed a bit and they became more of a rock band. Their songs showed up on movie soundtracks and video games. A Scottish music mag named them the #3 Scottish band in rock history, behind Belle & Sebastian and Travis. That and a dollar will get you a cup of coffee. Idlewild never quite broke through, while bands like Snow Patrol did. Last year, they got dumped from their label.
This year, they returned to their indie roots and put out a new album. I got it the day it came out. And… it’s over. The album doesn’t suck, but it’s not great. They’ve been putting out albums for 10 years, and it’s time to accept they are not the Next Big Thing. So the third greatest band in Scottish rock history continues to struggle in obscurity. Oh well.
5 comments:
Braveheart, and now this... do you have a Scotland obsession going? If so, run out and rent "So I Married An Axe Murderer." It's Scot-tastic!
If it's not Scottish, it's crap. I should buy a kilt.
And So I Married An Axe Murderer is my favorite Michael Myers movie. An underrated classic.
"HEAD!"
It's like Sputnik!
So I have a question: how did Osler comment twice on this blog in 12 minutes? I know law profs are omniscient, but that's insane. Is there some cool program out there that tells you about comments on other people's blogs?
Suddenly had a notion of nostalgia to find some Idlewild on Amazon music. So many bands from my home country are overlooked but Heck it just means we get them all to ourselves. Biffy Clyro definitely made it big. Wished Travis released more stuff, then you have Franz Ferdinand follows by the fratellis. Who each had 1 incredible album then disappeared or got no further air time.
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