Idle Times

Sometimes it's hard not to imagine an entire generation is growing up without any idea of what a properly recorded album sounds like. Lo-fi may be fine in principle, and it certainly has its virtues, but is there any compelling reason why Brian Standeford insists on constantly pushing his vocals into the red zone on Idle Times' debut album? From what one can hear of it, Standeford has a pretty good rock & roll voice, and he's a great guitar player, reeling off lots of big, fuzzy leads over clean, wiry Velvet Underground-style rhythm lines, but does this guy just not know how to run his home recording rig? Or is making his album sound like sludge part of his creative vision? Idle Times cite Guided by Voices as an influence, which may partially explain the group's disinterest in proper recording technique, but while both groups make fuzzy-sounding pop records, Idle Times fuse garage rock melodies with a glam/shoegaze sense of glorious mystery, and the result is a batch of tunes with great hooks that also pack a serious wallop. Standeford gets a major assist from bassist Paul Waude and drummer Dean Whitmore, who bring out the rock on all ten songs, and this band clearly has both the songs and the muscle to make a great rock & roll album if they're so inclined. But unlike GBV, the lo-fi production values don't add to the band's charm, nor lend an added layer of creative murk; they just muddy the sound of a band well worth hearing. Would anyone care to start a Kickstarter accord so Idle Times can bankroll a session with Steve Albini, who could record this band (especially Standeford's guitars) properly?