Jehnny Beth is french . she isn't british

A part of the reason I like "Joy" so much is because there are points on it where it's not immediately apparent if he's being sarcastic or serious. The inclusion of the darker song "June" on that album is very contextually effective because the point becomes not that you should be joyful, but you kind of have to be in response to life's struggles, in order to resist inner death. The album encourages internalization, from analyzing the humor or character of the delivery, to being left alone with loss out of nowhere halfway through the album.

I loved that Rip Van Winkle joke lol. Great review as always sir!

"Empathy Now!" is def also the core of their second album, Joy as an Act of Resistance, as you might be able to glean from the title. IDLES is a weird one for me bc after listening to Brutalism in 2018 or so I became hooked and listened to their early EPs (they had a totally different sound on their first EP) and was looking forward to their second album immensely. I liked the second album a lot but in between the release of Joy and this new album I slowly started to lose interest in the band and their sound. It's almost certainly entirely a me thing. Still, saw them in NYC in 2018 and that's still one of my favorite concerts I've been to, first time I was in a mosh pit. Also, the closing track of Brutalism, their debut, is a slow howl of a track, and makes me think IDLES could do a lot more than just the positive punk thing. If they change their sound up wildly for their 4th album my interest will go up greatly.

I see it like the nirvana effect. First two albums are pretty catchy in terms of songwriting and production, and then the third album sees the band letting loose and doing things that would have never worked on their previous work. The production on this is album is pretty weird in comparison to the other albums, and the songwriting seems to get more raw as each album is released. That being said I think this is probably their best album, the other two are great but this one really shows the band doing exactly what they want to do and not being influenced by expectations for a great follow up or for a mainstream break through

In regards to War. He's referring more to a country that's at War with itself. England, or rather Great Britain is going through something similar to the USA.

Anyway nice review sir I enjoyed your thoughts....thanks! Oh and this album is in my top 3 or 4 of 2020....just behind CYR, Rough and Rowdy Ways and A Steady drip,drip, drip.....I think the blib track and half on Mono is just a twist not a massive deviation musically for me......

It’s a great album.

Coming from listen to Joy as an Act of Resistance (abbreviated to Joy in this comment later on) before Brutalism, I do get a very different overall theme in Ultra Mono compared to their previous works. Where Brutalism was done a bit more rough and heavy, Joy has a wonderful positivity aligned with direct antagonism to right-wing ideology, and perhaps a bit more straightforward than the former. Ultra Mono has them sounding a bit more varied in some parts, but they definitely have the more refined tone Joy has paired with the weight of the sound that Brutalism carries. I'd like to say they feel a bit more to the point as well, but that's just me. They definitely have their moments that have the same satirical, snarky tone that GREAT (from Joy) carried, but with clearer intentions within that satire. "GREAT" is an absolute banger of a track, one of my favorite, but doesn't have as totally clear of a position as "Model Village," albeit still totally there. One of my favorite bits of the album is definitely the closer. Brutalism's closer track, "Slow Savage" is the quiet track of the album (they also do an odd quiet song on Joy and Ultra Mono, too) that feels a bit out of place to me, and Joy's "Rottweiler" does a far better job as everything sounds like it comes unwound from its own explosive energy. Part of me likes Ultra Mono's "Danke" more, though. Again, that straightforwardness that's present throughout the album feels so genuine and powerful, and is definitely present in "Danke." It lets the album leave less on the note of still hammering down on its criticisms to the dying last note, and more on a positive, unifying energy solidified by Talbot's chanting. "Rottweiler" tried to do it at the end with Talbot calling to the audience to "keep going," and ending on a shout of "unity," but it's totally outdone by "Danke." Ultra Mono is a hella good album. EDIT: this was typed in before the review for the most part, I heard you say "let me know what you think" early in and I may have went wild with it. AND ANOTHER: Completely understand and now agree with your take on Ne Touche Pas Moi's intentionally wrong French. "Ne me touche pas" is also a bit catchier, too, funny enough.

Good review

Got into Mono recently....my first go at Idles and agree I think it's real good....fans can get stuck in a groove....creating a strange prejudice when change is afoot in my experience....I call it the 'old Bowie' syndrome ☺️☺️....lol

"Staring at the sun" reminded me of when Trump looked at the solar eclipse directly. Grounds is my favorite too

Please Please please review Joy as an act of Resistance it's their best album hands down

I think they formed in Bristol but come from other places....as a Bristolian who has never lost his oooooh aaaaaarrrr I'd say they sound London or Esssex....but that's school kid fashion here at mo....

While I enjoyed some parts of the album, especially the production, the thing that stuck out to me was how clunky a lot of the lyrics are. A good example being "Ne Touche Pas Moi" where Joe sings about a woman's right to consent in the most on-the-nose way and even goes about shouting "CONSENT!" a coupleee of times to hammer in the message. I'm all for the sentiment but the delivery could have been better and less ham-fisted. Another one is "Anxiety" which again lyrically misses the mark and sounds half-baked. IDLES have never been the most poetically charged band but at least previous efforts had some witty lines, whereas on this one it felt like they doubled down on things that they've been criticised for on their past such as sloganeering and earnestness, and as a result it comes off as preachy & forced in places. Maybe the album will grow on me, but for now I just think it's alright but not great.

I totes struggled with Japanese and French...but I'm good at English....loved German....and I'd say we take the p out of all languages from my experience....which yes is a genetic/imperialistic attitude,/hang up....but bloody funny...😲🤔

Ultra Mono sounds like an overwrought version of the Buzzcocks without the catchy tunes.

Are they too sincere?! I’m not sure I’ve come across a more calculated insincere band. You are aware they used to tread the boards as a poor mans The National before they rejigged their sound and added the meme politics? Everything these guys do seems calculated- the big band logo, the craft beer, the skateboard, the 8 different collectors vinyl pressings -seems like the opposite of punk to me.