Idle Star: Idle Star

By Shaun Chait

Idle Star have an overriding willingness to experiment with ideas, and are not afraid to move away from the four minute mentality in order to achieve it. The marriage of Rebecca Halliday's voice to the music the band play is perfect. They show much promise on this debut, revealing a musical background that varies from underground Dunedin to Kravitz rock guitar. I wonder if there's some jazz knowledge too, as witnessed by the messing with time signatures and free forms. There is also a tendency to occasionally (I'm assuming intentionally!) play notes off time, and I'm not sure this works. It takes a few listens to understand what Idle Star are trying to get at, but the rewards include the downbeat indie pop of Little, the dark South Island alt pop-rock sound of Your Paradise, and the very pretty closer Dragon Fly. The album as a whole could do with trimming and tightening, the band at times a little too loose in their attempts to be unique and define their own sound. But every track has moments of the right formula. The nine minute This Illusion carries you along without a hint of its length, which is of tremendous credit. The sound quality (recorded in their own studio) is just fine, and the guitar solos, which vary in sound from Santana to Jimmy Page, are always welcomed. Moving in the right direction.

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Issues

NZ Musician

October/November 2002