| 100 Broken Windows | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 10 April 2000 | |||
| Recorded | May – November 1999 | |||
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| Genre | Indie punk | |||
| Length | 38:46 | |||
| Label | Food | |||
| Producer | Dave Eringa | |||
| Idlewild chronology | ||||
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| Singles from 100 Broken Windows | ||||
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100 Broken Windows is the second studio album by Scottishrock bandIdlewild, released on 9 May 2000. While touring in support of their debut studio albumHope Is Important (1998), the band wrote and recorded its follow-up in stages. Sessions were done between May and November 1999 at a variety of studios:AIR in London, Jacob's in Surrey,Rockfield in Wales, andElectrical Audio, Chicago. Initial recording withBob Weston resulted in unremarkable material, by which point they switched to working with producerDave Eringa. Described as anindie punk album,100 Broken Windows has been compared toR.E.M. andHüsker Dü.
A tour of the United Kingdom preceded the release of the album'slead single "Little Discourage" on 20 September 1999. Idlewild closed the year with a tour of the United States; in March and April 2000, they went on a stint of the UK. "Actually It's Darkness" was released as a single on 27 March 2000 during the latter trek. They toured Europe withMuse prior to the release of the "These Wooden Ideas" single on 12 June 2000. Various festival appearances followed, till later in the year when the band went on a tour of the UK. "Roseability" was released as a single on 16 October 2000, which was promoted with a few supporting shows forPlacebo.
100 Broken Windows received generally favourable reviews frommusic critics, some of whom praised the songwriting and progress from their previous album. The album charted at number six in Scotland, and number 15 in the UK. It would later be certified gold in the UK. All of the songs appeared on theScottish andUK Singles Charts, with "Little Discourage" charting the highest in Scotland at number 12, and "Actually It's Darkness" charting the highest in the UK at number 23.100 Broken Windows appeared on an overlooked albums from the year list bySpin, and was ranked number one on a Scottish albums of the decade list byThe Skinny.
Idlewild released their debut studio albumHope Is Important in October 1998.[1] It peaked at number 53 in the UK, while all of its four singles appeared on theUK Singles Chart, with "When I Argue I See Shapes" reaching the highest at number 24.[2] The band wrote and recorded their next album in sections during their 120-date promotional tour forHope Is Important. While writing the album, lead singer Roddy Woomble revisitedScottish folk music that he had grown up listening to prior to discarding it for nosier forms of music, as well asAmerican rock.[3] Between May and November 1999, recording sessions were held atAIR Studios in London, Jacob's Studio in Surrey,Rockfield Studios in Wales, andElectrical Audio in Chicago, Illinois.[4]
Woomble had been enamored with bands such asJune of 44 andSlint; Idlewild contactedBob Weston and sent him some demos. Weston, who liked the demos, went to London to work with the band.[5] Woomble said they had worked on a few tracks, "but they were just so weird, and we weren't ready for that". The band wanted direction, which they felt they were unable to due to Weston taking more of an engineer role instead of a producer.[5] As their labelFood Records disliked those songs, the band set about working withDave Eringa, who had finished working with theManic Street Preachers at Rockfield, and travelled to Jacob's to meet Idlewild.[5][6]
Woomble said they didn't want to be viewed as "just as a rowdy night out for teenagers"; with the creation of "Little Discourage" and "Roseability", the band had a newfound confidence. They visited Weston in Chicago to finish working on some tracks. Eringa revisited the material the band had done during their first session with Weston, and had them re-sing some vocal sections.[5] Weston recorded "Listen to What You've Got", "Rusty", and "The Bronze Medal", while Eringa produced the remaining tracks, and did additional recording for "The Bronze Medal". They were assisted by John Bailey, Matt Ollivier, Lee Butler, and Willie Deans. All recordings were by mixed by Eringa atCaVa Studios in Glasgow in December 1999, except for "Rusty", which was mixed by Weston in Chicago.[4]
Musically, the sound of100 Broken Windows has been described asindie punk,[7] and was compared to 1980salternative acts, such asR.E.M. andHüsker Dü.[8] Woomble saidthe Smiths served as a big influence on the album.[9] The album saw Woomble sing in his own accent, in contrast to the previous releases where he leaned towards a more American vocal.[10] Rich Hughes ofThe Line of Best Fit said the band got the "mix perfect between their REM-influenced literary rock and their punk past".[11]Ink 19 writer Marcel Feldmar said it "conjures up some of the best moments ofSwervedriver, and at other moments you just get lost in the power and passion, pulling in a ferocity like theNew Model Army up in arms again".[12] Discussing the title, guitarist Rod Jones said Woomble had written it in a book sometime prior, and that it dealt the album's topical theme of dissatisfaction.[13] Woomble said the lyrics reference subject matter such aspostmodernism, the Scottish mountains,crofting, andGertrude Stein. He said the band were improving as songwriters, "but not so much for the album to lose its raw edges".[14] Jeff Jackson of Sonic said the lyrics bounce between "straightforward declarations and enigmatic wordplay, the songs unfurl their meanings in short bursts and volleys".[15]
100 Broken Windows opens with "Little Discourage", a track that beings with aNirvana-esque guitar part. Itscall-and-response chorus section contains touches ofnew wave keyboards.[16] It was one of the first songs written for the album, and initially sounded closer to "You're the Voice" (1986) byJohn Farnham. They subsequently changed the song; its lyrics were intentionally vague, spurred on by the opening line, which Woomble had written on its own at the top of his notebook.[17] "These Wooden Ideas" is critical of the music industry, and was compared toMurmur (1983)-era R.E.M.[18][19] The band borrowed a keyboard and guitar fromTeenage Fanclub for the song as they were recording in another room at Rockfield.[20] "Roseability" is analternative rock track; Woomble said he was inspired bya poem by Gertrude Stein.[21][17] When working on a song, Woomble wanted to play along to it to come up with potential lyrics, to which Eringa said he'd "give him an idea track".[22]
The song "Idea Track" was subsequently named after this, and deals with optimism.[17] Jones said it was the band's first attempting at writing a track while at a studio.[23] The chorus sections came about as Woomble was unable to settle on a melody that he enjoyed, so Eringa combined all six existing vocal takes into one.[24] The bridge section features a violin performance from Jones, as they had found the instrument while at Jacob's.[25] "Let Me Sleep (Next to the Mirror)" is a mid-tempo song that recalls the early work ofthe Smashing Pumpkins.[26] "Listen to What You've Got" evoked the work of thePixies, which Woomble attributed to the Americanunderground rock they liked.[18][27] As the song was done in Chicago with Weston, Jones was able to useSteve Albini'sTravis Bean and IVP guitars to give it "that buzzsaw guitar sound".[28]
"Actually It's Darkness" opens with apost-punk keyboard part, before switching intoOi!-era guitar riff, with a piano-centred bridge section.[19] One of its lines, "shed a shade of shyness" was taken from a live review about Woomble, which he felt "link[ed] together public and personal opinion".[17] "Rusty" featured guitar riffs in the style ofFugazi, which were inspired byShellac's1000 Hurts (2000), and also played on the Travis Bean and IVP guitars.[18][29] During one weekend, Eringa was working as a sound engineer for a Manic Street Preachers show; Idlewild got drunk in the studio, attempting to cover "Save Tonight" (1997) byEagle-Eye Cherry, and wrote "Mistake Pageant" in the process.[30] The album ends with the ballad "The Bronze Medal", which recalled "All Apologies" (1993) by Nirvana.[16][31]
In July and August 1999, Idlewild played a handful of shows in mainland Europe and the UK, including an appearance at theReading and Leeds Festivals.[32] In September 1999, the band embarked on a tour of the UK. Coinciding with this, "Little Discourage" was released as a single on 20 September 1999.[33] Two versions were released on CD: the first with "A Tone" and "Broken Windows", while the second included "1990 Nightime", and a live version of "You Don't Have the Heart".[34][35] The music video for "Little Discourage" was directed by James and Alex.[36] After this, they went on a headlining tour of the United States throughout the following month.[33] On 13 January 2000,100 Broken Windows was announced for released in three months' time.[37] In March and April 2000, the band toured across the UK; Jeremy Mills of Peeps into Fairyland served as the band's touring guitarist for the trek.[37][38]
"Actually It's Darkness" was released as a single on 27 March 2000.[38] Two versions were released on CD: the first with "Meet Me at the Harbour" and "West Haven", while the second featured "Forgot to Follow", and a cover of "It'll Take a Long Time" (1972) bySandy Denny.[39][40] The music video for "Actually It's Darkness" was directed by James and Alex.[36]100 Broken Windows was released on 10 April 2000 by Food Records.[41] The album's booklet includes a black-and-white map ofOuter Hebrides.[42] In another part of the booklet, "Subject: History" is mentioned, which Woomble had a double meaning: when people inquired as to the subject matter of their songs; when they worked with Weston, the tapes had a section on the label listed as "Subject", intended for the name of the band, though Weston wrote topics like geography and history.[43]
100 Broken Windows was promoted with an instore performance at theHMV shop in Edinburgh, a one-off gig that was broadcast on Japanese TV, as well as appearances onLater... with Jools Holland andTop of the Pops.[44] They then embarked on a tour of Europe withMuse in May 2000, leading up to the single release of "These Wooden Ideas" on 12 June 2000.[44][45] Two versions were released on CD: the first with "There's Glory in Your Story" and a cover of "When the Ship Comes In" (1964) byBob Dylan, while the second included an acoustic version of "Actually It's Darkness", and a cover of "Rescue" (1980) byEcho & the Bunnymen.[46][47] The music video for "These Wooden Ideas" was directed by James and Alex.[36] The band played a handful of instore performances atVirgin Megastores, prior to appearances at theGlastonbury,T in the Park,Witnness,T on the Fringe andReading and Leeds Festivals.[48][49][50]
In between of these shows, Jones accompaniedGraham Coxon on his solo tour of the UK in July 2000.[49] In October 2000, the band went on another tour of the UK, which coincided with the release of single "Roseability" on 16 October 2000.[51] Two versions were released on CD: the first with "Thousand", a remix of "Rusty", and the music video for "Roseability" (directed by Grant Gee), while the second featured a live version of "I've Only Just Begun", and a radio session version of "Self Healer".[36][52][53] The concept for the "Roseability" video stemmed from the label asking if they could create a "straightforward video" as the previous ones were not shown till after midnight. As James and Alex were busy, the band settled on Gee, who had previously worked with other acts onParlophone, such asColdplay andRadiohead; they invited their fans to appear in the video.[43] Following this, the band supportedPlacebo for a handful of shows.[51]100 Broken Windows was released in the US on 13 March 2001 throughCapitol and Odeon Records.[54][55] "Little Discourage" was released to USmodern rock radio stations on 11 June 2001.[56]
100 Broken Windows was played in full in December 2008 atKing Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow as part of a series of shows where the band performed all of their albums.[57] It was released as a two-CD package withHope Is Important in 2002, and then with their third studio albumThe Remote Part in 2011.[58][59] A 10th anniversary two-CD version of100 Broken Windows was released in 2010, with B-sides, demos, and radio session versions.[60] The band performed the album in its entirety again, in 2010 in Edinburgh.[61] "Roseability", "These Wooden Ideas", "Let Me Sleep (Next to the Mirror)", and "Little Discourage" were included on the band's first compilation album,Scottish Fiction: Best of 1997–2007 (2007), alongside the music videos for all of the album's singles.[36] "Roseability", "Actually It's Darkness", "Idea Track", "Little Discourage", and the remix of "Rusty" were included on the band's third compilation album,The Collection (2010).[17]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [62] |
| Blender | [54] |
| Entertainment Weekly | A[63] |
| The Guardian | [64] |
| La Opinión | [65] |
| NME | 8/10[18] |
| Pitchfork | 8.3/10[66] |
| Select | [67] |
| Spin | 9/10[16] |
| Stylus | A−[19] |
100 Broken Windows was met with generally favorable reviews frommusic critics.Entertainment Weekly writer Brian M. Raftery said Woomble's voice was "backed by rousing punk guitars and a ceaseless energy. The results are flashes of beauty and menace, often [...] in one song."[63] Octavio Hernandez ofLa Opinión said it was an "energetic recording", with Woomble's " brilliant voice and a rhythmic skeleton of great flavor".[65]Spin's Jon Dolan wrote that the album was an "astounding follow-up" toHope Is Important.[16] The staff atNME said melody is "now paramount over velocity, the rough edges of reckless spontaneity smoothed by the high-gloss patina of responsible coherence". They noted that the album "gracefully enacts the sort of awkward, jarring progression another band would take several albums to complete."[18]
Keith Gwillim ofStylus write that the band made music that is "all bluster and belligerence on the surface, but goes much deeper", showcasing that they were capable of "stealing from the past and making it your own".[19]Pitchfork joint reviewers Beatty & Garrett expected a repeat ofHope Is Important and were "completely [...] surprise[d]" as it had "[n]o more screeching. No more punk-guitar chaos. No more uncomfortable strain." They added that the "chord progressions are crisp and the hooks immediate."[66] InThe Rolling Stone Album Guide, Chris Ryan wrote that the band "grows up and gets smart", greatly "step[ping] up in song-writing quality, as melody takes precedence over noise".[68]AllMusic reviewer MacKenzie Wilson noted that the band "scale back a bit" on the album, while showing they had "grown up".[62] Chris Lorraine forBlender said that while it was a "melodic, chorus-catchy disc", the band's "need to kick into a loud anthemic chorus on each song feels a bit by-the-book".[54]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Encyclopedia of Popular Music | [69] |
| The List | [70] |
| The Press | [71] |
| Record Collector | [72] |
| The Skinny | [73] |
The List writer Camilla Pia said the album was "slightly out of step with the modern world and yet meant so much to those who ‘got it'".[70]Record Collector reviewer Jamie Atkins wrote that the album went on to be the band's "finest moment", with several of the tracks displaying a "new maturity to their songwriting without sacrificing the abrasiveness that made their earlier records so exciting".[72]BBC Music's Mike Diver saw the album as a "game-changer" that "stamped Idlewild's identity as a highly literate, immensely able outfit whose melodies had evolved into true earworms".[74] Dan Bean ofThe Press wrote that the album has "dated little" since its release, with "Little Discourage" "setting the pace and style of the album".[71]The Skinny's PJ Meiklem noted that a few of tracks had "all the melodic clues" that would be expanded upon with their next albumThe Remote Part. He added that ten years removed from its release,100 Broken Windows was "still a powerful record".[73]
100 Broken Windows peaked at number six in Scotland,[75] and number 15 in the UK.[76] "Little Discourage" charted at number 12 in Scotland,[77] and number 24 in the UK.[2] "Actually It's Darkness" charted at number 14 in Scotland,[78] and number 23 in the UK.[2] "These Wooden Ideas" charted at number 18 in Scotland,[79] and number 32 in the UK.[2] "Roseability" charted at number 25 in Scotland,[80] and number 38 in the UK.[2]100 Broken Windows was certified gold by theBritish Phonographic Industry (BPI).[81] By July 2003, it has sold 35,000 copies in the US.[82]
Spin ranked it at number one on their list of overlooked albums from the year.[83]The Skinny ranked the album as number one on their Scottish Albums of the Decade list.[3]Kerrang! included it on their list of Seven Amazing British Rock Albums From A Golden Era between 1999 and 2002.[84]Fatherson have cited it as an influence on their third albumSum of All Your Parts (2018),[85] whileMastersystem have cited it andHope Is Important as influences on their debut albumDance Music (2018).[86]
Personnel per booklet.[4]
Idlewild
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