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One of the only constants with each day is new sources of anger.
The band intends its music for times like these, righteous anger in the face of injustice.
But bigger means worse in Idles case, from the first notes ofUltra Mono.
The riff that opens War sounds like royalty-free punk music.
Maybe it would get the job done in a mosh pit, but on its own, its boring.
But the main criticism levied against Idles is for their platitudinous, buzzword-filled lyrics, which they brush off.
Fuck you, Im a lover!
singer Joe Talbot retorts on alater song.
War, though, just opens with pure nonsense.
Thats the sound of the sword going in, he screeches, with a line hecomparedto the Wu-Tang Clan.
Lines like Clack clack clack a clang clang!
Thats the sound of the gun going bang bang dont even work on a literal level.
Talbots chorus is a simple cry: This means war!
The bands supporters see a bunch of gruff white guys standing against violence and praise it as subversive.
But in the context of the song, what is Idles actually doing?
Its not just unclear what were fighting; its unclear if were supposed to be fighting at all.
Explaining his straightforward lyrics,Talbot toldthe New YorkTimes, If you avoid nuance, you wont be misunderstood.
But for a song to accomplish anything, it needs a level of clarity.
That has earned them droves of fans, most of whom will loveUltra Mono.
Idles anger, though, is as empty as the gestures that fill the rest of their album.
