The march of time can’t diminish Idlewild's flame

Its ability to ravage and enlighten in equal measure makes us both mourn its passing and celebrate the opportunities it presents. Over the past few years, via publishing his journals and the release of the excellent Idlewild retrospective, In the Beginning There Were Answers: 25 Years of Idlewild, Roddy Woomble has lifted the lid on time's impact upon him and his band mates as they have morphed through numerous incarnations. From punk flecked critical darlings, to chart topping main stage contenders, followed by a period of dormancy punctuated by the occasional raising of sleepy heads, the band have lived many lives over their 30 years together.

The fervour with which their anniversary concerts were received for 100 Broken Windows and The Remote Part proved how they had wormed their way into the country's subconscious, and reignited memories of just why they are one of Scotland's finest musical experts.

As is typical for a group who mean so much to so many, any new release will be met with some trepidation. This is, after all, a band who can provide both the aural comfort of a morning coffee as well as capturing the crackle of excitement of the first step out the door into the city night. The band's decision to make their tenth release self titled shows their determination to meet this weight of expectation head on. These ten tracks are an arrestingly assured summary of who they are now, while fully embracing their former selves.

If some may have noticed the group's latter output putting Rod Jones’ angular guitar riffs on the back burner, they are back in full force on “Make It Happen”. Evoking fond memories of crate digging in the Discord section, Woomble ditches his more melodious vocal styling to instead provide an urgent rebuke to Jones' caustic barbs

Time has also served to help the band realise it is OK to embrace the big moments. “Its Not The First Time” is a beautiful, pop-heavy anthem the likes of which the group have recently shied away from. But here is brought to the fore, and is easily one of their most widescreen moments since “You Held The World In Your Arms”. And few would expect the rampant charge of opener “Stay Out of Place”, where the band frantically try to keep pace with Jones’ thundering guitar; the whole thing pitched on a cliff edge before the acoustic refrain allows them to catch a breath before kicking into a new gear completely.

Adopting the Guided By Voices approach to lyrics where the music finds meaning in the words, Woombles' prose manages to capture the light and shade of existence and the hope and freedom we find as the years slip past.

That Idlewild are still going thirty years into a career is quite a feat. The fact they are producing some of their best work seems almost absurd, and yet here we are; a band who have stood the test of time and embraced both the wins and wounds it has inflicted. In the closing moments of “Writers Of The Present Time”, as Woomble sings “Time stops for you and starts for someone”, he is keenly aware of the ticking clock. But on this album he and his band revel in the present and the future still to come.