Looking to further buck their own trends -- their previous albums have been a series of highs with moments of respite -- Idles have gone for a more subdued, heartfelt approach with the occasional sting of an upper cut on their fifth album,
Tangk. Their lower-tempo tunes have often been highlights on previous albums --
Crawler's "The Beachland Ballroom" and
Ultra Mono's "A Hymn" are prime examples -- but on
Tangk, most of their efforts are genuinely affecting, serving to highlight their more adrenaline-fueled tendencies.
Nigel Godrich's influence can be felt early on, as the opening track "IDEA 01" is almost a cheeky wink to his legacy with
Radiohead. A series of gliding pianos creates a decent atmosphere, and the song closes with
Talbot's best attempt at falsetto, which isn't a slight in the slightest. It's an effective table-setter, hinting at the hidden depths
Idles have often achieved. They then shift gears into "Gift Horse," which ticks a lot of boxes in the
Idles playbook. Although this is a veiled commentary on the U.K. monarchy,
Talbot focuses more on wordplay than clarity -- featuring his best one-liner, with "looking long in the gold tooth." The album then veers into midtempo territory, which is clearly what they were aiming for. "POP POP POP" is just the first example of this mindset, however, as "Roy" achieves this goal to far greater effect, showcasing the contrast between
Talbot's zaniness and his genuine emotions. The album delivers on "Dancer" with a chorus that works better than it has any right to, given how busy it becomes.
The back half of the album generally feels slower, exploring the new ideas that
Idles are playing with. The slower numbers plumb new emotional depths for the band, and often give way to spurts of energy. Eschewing their usual explosive closer for the meandering soundscape of "Monolith" is a bold move in their world, yet another way they reverse expectations -- they clearly want to showcase a broader range of emotions than just righteous anger. Taken in the context of the group's discography, this gives them more options to slam the breaks on, and the frequency with which it happens here means that the engine is kept at a steady hum. This makes
Tangk a far more restrained listening experience, a middle ground that
Idles haven't displayed until now. ~ Liam Martin
