Idlewild guitarist Rod Jones expects his band’s new CD, "Warnings/Promises," to catch fans off guard.
"I think with (the band’s 2002 CD) ‘The Remote Part,’ we’d basically been doing what we do, which is writing sort of pop songs and really producing them to the point where we thought we couldn’t produce them anymore," Jones says. "We wanted to try something different."
In talking with Jones, who’s calling from his home in Scotland, it’s clear that moving in a different musical direction on "Warnings/Promises" is simply a reflection of the goals of the band.
In Jones’ view, there isn’t much point to being a band unless the music evolves from record to record.
The new CD, which came out in September, scales back the production and introduces a rootsier, folkier facet into the Idlewild sound. But "Warnings/Promises" retains much of Idlewild’s hard edge.
For the band, which formed in 1995 in Edinburgh, Scotland, the "Warnings/ Promises" CD is an appropriate time to open a new musical chapter.
After recording "The Remote Part," the band went through a transition, parting ways with bassist Bob Fairfoull and replacing him with Gavin Fox. Touring guitarist Allan Stewart was brought on as a permanent band member, joining Jones, singer Roddy Woomble and drummer Colin Newton.
"For this record, we really wanted to start like a new band," he says. "And it was a new band, really."
The band spent nearly three months recording "Warnings/Promises." There was plenty of time to experiment and try different approaches to the songs, Jones says.
Idlewild
Opening act: Inara George When: 7:30 p.m. today Where: Martini Ranch, 7295 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale How much: $12 Information: (480) 970-0500 or www.idlewild.co.uk
