Idaho
Levitate
Idaho Music/Quietly Suburban/MGM

Lurking amidst the vast wasteland of noise between Pete Yorn and Low lies Californian band Idaho. ‘Levitate’, the bands seventh release sees Jeff Martin (singer, songwriter and main instrumentalist) whisper another batch of songs detailing the barrenness of growing up and moving on. The album is drowned with Martin’s insight into the harshness of life, love and other contemplative issues that make for some brooding lyrics.

‘Levitate’ is not an album for the everyday Britney fan: sure, they may find the opening tracks slightly more upbeat than the remainder, but when the piano kicks in about a third of the way through the record any chance of commercial airplay is thrown out the window. It is in these songs that Martin strips it down, leaving his innocence and frailty to the scrutiny of the listener. When he sings the simple yet overwhelmingly sad and beautiful line ‘I wished you’d go away’ (Santa Claus Is Weird) the words hit the bottom of your stomach and then form a shiver that continues from the base of your spine upwards. There are many other moments on this album that provoke similar feelings, but the sheer beauty of such moments is discovering them for yourself and relating them to a period in your life.

If you’ve ever felt like breaking down and crying when listening to Red House Painters or Art Of Fighting, then this release is calling for you. It won’t change your life but it will comfort you with the knowledge that someone else has been dragged through a bad relationship and has consequently created music to lessen the solitude and isolation.

Ross Hocking

this review is/was posted at dbmagazine.com
and is available here for archival purposes