Emily's Albums A to Z

Listened: Wednesday October 6

This is one of those albums with a cover that successfully telegraphs the content within – it really sounds like a beardy dude in a beenie sitting in the Scottish countryside. Obviously then, Roddy Woomble’s solo album My Secret is My Silence is very different in sound than classic Idlewild albums (Roddy is the singer from Idlewild).

Most of the songs are very British-trad in instrumentation – twangy and folky with flutes – as opposed to the shoutiness of early Idlewild and the REM-like rock of later records. Additionally, quite a few songs have female backing vocals or even a male-female duet, something which Idlewild never uses.

That said, songs like As Still As I Watch Your Grave or From The Drifter To The Drake could be at home on Idlewild records, so it’s not a total departure. I was pleasantly surprised and pleased, since it had been some time since Idlewild had released anything.