Sorry if this mental image makes you ill, but I generally listen to records that I review in bed, all the way through, on my headphones.
It must be psychological, I suppose, because when you boil it down I’ve done similar all my life.
I was given a radio by my grandparents when I was about eight and I listened to it with something approaching a religious zeal every night. Not many eight year old kids were listening to John Peel, but I was. By 11 I’d discovered The Friday Rock Show and that voice of Tommy Vance.
The point I am getting to here, is I am always drawn to songs about the halcyon days of radio, and I love bands that love music as much as I did and still do. The Idolizers are one of those.
“ConCretins” is their second album. I reviewed the first last year and rather excitedly called it “a masterclass in rock n roll”. Anyone, it could be argued, has one good album in them (Ok, not Shinedown), great bands have two. The Idolizers, then are a great band.
The seven songs here, are a jam paced 20 minute thrill ride, through a street marked with names like Hellacopters, Wildhearts, Stiff Little Fingers, Ramones and a host of brilliant power pop.
And what is more, blaring out of the open windows in our mythical streets are songs that basically scream: play loud and often.
There’s two songs about radio (see, the intro had a point, baby!) the best of which is the fabulous “(Whatever Happened To The) The Radio” which has all the bubblegum charm of “Teenage Kicks” if it was played by The Ramones, and opines: “no cool 45’s as far as the eye can see”. You could argue that this would – in other circumstances and times – have seven.
The other song about what Everclear might have termed, “AM Radio”, “Radio Radio” is a full on 70s style glam rock attack, but both are much fun.
That word is all over it to be honest. “Action!” starts off like an outtake from Supershitty To The Max, but the harmony is from a different place altogether. There’s probably a lot of early Kiss here.
All the way is exactly three minutes. The perfect pop song length. It chugs quite heavily, and then rhymes “honey” with “money” and “funny” with not a care in the world. It is, like everything else, fabulous.
“Gone Are The Great Wheels” adds a little metal, and is basically made for hot-rodding. And like the magpie’s they obviously are, they steal lyrics from The Beatles and are not giving them back. Not at all.
“There is no hero when there is no glory” offers “All Night Long” and this has as much energy as you can comprehend, and “Until Then” rounds the thing off with the same shiny aplomb. I hope it was recorded in a studio with a glitterball and everyone in 14 inch stack heels. It probably wasn’t but I can dream.
Like Volbeat if they were a garage band not a stadium one, Idolizers are the kings of underground rock n roll. Music for the fans, by the fans. This rules.
Rating 9.5/10
