Warnings/Promises

Idlewild released their third studio album The Remote Part in July 2002. It peaked at number two in the UK, while all of its four singles appeared within the top 30 of the UK Singles Chart, with "You Held the World in Your Arms" reaching the highest at number nine. They toured the United Kingdom five times (one tour supporting Coldplay), mainland Europe twice (one of which supporting Coldplay again), Australia, and the United States twice (one of which supporting Pearl Jam). Despite the album receiving favourable press in the US, the band's American label Capitol Records declined to promote it in that territory. While this was occurring, the post-punk revival became mainstream, with fellow Scottish band Franz Ferdinand overtaking Idlewild's popularity. Bassist Bob Fairfoull left the band in October 2002, and was temporarily replaced by bass technician Alex Grant. The following month, Gavin Fox of Turn became the band's full-time bassist, and Allan Stewart, who had been part of the band's crew, became their second guitarist. By December 2002, the band were in the process of writing material for their next album. It became their longest writing process up to this point due to including every member in it. The constant touring started becoming a strain on the members' health as they would have little time to rest in between tours. It marked the first time that every member of the band contributed to the writing process, as previous releases were done for the most part between vocalist Roddy Woomble and guitarist Rod Jones. In retrospect, Jones felt they had "maybe too many song ideas" with "quite a lot of compromising going on". He added that they "weren't skilled enough with our communication skills at that point" to let Fox and Stewart offer more to the writing. ==Production==

Idlewild recorded with producer Dave Eringa and engineer Guy Massey at Tambourine Studios in Malmö, Sweden, where they had done five tracks. They travelled to Los Angeles, California to work with Hoffer and engineer Todd Burke in May 2004. Hoffer drafted in additional musicians, such as Inara George and Greg Leisz, to enhance the recordings; George sung additional vocals on "Love Steals Us from Loneliness", "I Want a Warning", "Too Long Awake", and "Goodnight", while Leisz played pedal steel guitar on "Goodnight" and "Disconnected". Despite the album having been reportedly finished by August 2004, a direct result of the band's laidback approached saw them re-record each track, and finishing it in October 2004. They restarted with acoustic guitars; Woomble said Allan's playing style aided in changing the structure of the tracks. On the DVD that accompanies Scottish Fiction - Best of 1997-2007, there is a section titled The Making of Warnings/Promises, which includes interviews with the band members and their thoughts on the album. ==Composition and lyrics==

Musically, the sound of Warnings/Promises has been described as college rock and folk rock that strayed from the band's punk rock roots. Woomble said in contrast to Jones influencing the sound The Remote Part, Warnings/Promises had "more of my influence on it, bringing it into roots and folksy territories." Warnings/Promises expanded on the reflective nature of The Remote Part, showcasing more of an emphasis on acoustic instrumentation, such as acoustic guitars, piano, and string arrangements. Jones stated that the album is "more stripped back and direct" than previous releases, and that it has a sense of "frailty" to it. Discussing the title, Woomble said it relates to "contradictions that make up people. [...] I think we live our lives being promised about things, and being warned about things". The power ballad "Welcome Home", which was reminiscent of "Boulevard of Broken Dreams" (2004) by Green Day, is followed by "I Want a Warning", which saw a return to the sound of the band's earlier releases. "Too Long Awake" also returns to the band's roots, and originally started out as an acoustic song before being reworked in the studio. It uses the rock formation of the same name as a metaphor for different parts of people's lives. The initial acoustic iteration of "Too Long Awake" serves as the album's hidden track, tacked onto the end of the closing song "Goodnight". ==Release==

. On 30 November 2004, Warnings/Promises was announce for release in early 2005. "Love Steals Us from Loneliness" was released as a single on 21 February 2005. In April and May 2005, the band embarked on a full-band electric UK tour. "I Understand It" was released as a single on 2 May 2005. Two versions were released on CD: the first with a cover of "Pleasure and Pain" (1992) by Ben Harper, an acoustic version of "Love Steals Us from Loneliness", and the music video for "I Understand It" (directed by Thraves), while the second featured "The Work We Never Do". Between June and August 2005, the band played a series of festivals, including Isle of Wight, Summer Sundae, and V, interspersed with supporting U2 and R.E.M. for a few shows each. During this, "El Capitan" was released as a single on 11 July 2005. Two versions were released on 7" vinyl: the first with an acoustic version of "The Bronze Medal", while the second included a cover of "Winter Is Blue" (1967) by Vashti Bunyan, and an acoustic version of "El Capitan". The music video for "El Capitan" was directed by Sam Arthur. "Love Steals Us from Loneliness", "El Capitan", "I Understand It", and "As If I Hadn't Slept" were included on the band's first compilation album, Scottish Fiction: Best of 1997–2007 (2007), alongside the music videos for all of the album's singles. "Love Steals Us from Loneliness", "El Capitan", "Too Long Awake", and "Not Just Sometimes But Always" were included on the band's third compilation album, The Collection (2010). ==Reception==

Warnings/Promises was met with generally favourable reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 66, based on 20 reviews. Drowned in Sound Gareth Dobson saw it as "the work of a band pushing itself to the limits of its generous, but ultimately not boundless musical ability". He added that the band's decision to make an album of "such landmark size and scope has finally stripped the Icarus Woomble of his wings". number 16 in the UK, "I Understand It" charted at number 32 in the UK. The Village Voice included the album on their Pazz & Jop Albums of 2005 list at number 245. ==Track listing==

All songs written by Idlewild. • "Love Steals Us from Loneliness" – 3:12 • "Welcome Home" – 3:15 • "I Want a Warning" – 3:35 • "I Understand It" – 3:20 • "As If I Hadn't Slept" – 3:36 • "Too Long Awake" – 3:07 • "Not Just Sometimes But Always" – 3:33 • "The Space Between All Things" – 4:12 • "El Capitan" – 3:57 • "Blame It on Obvious Ways" – 3:24 • "Disconnected" – 3:51 • "Goodnight" – 8:06 (includes hidden track "Too Long Awake (reprise)") ==Personnel==

Personnel per booklet. Idlewild • Gavin Fox – bass • Rod Jones – guitar • Colin Newton – drums • Allan Stewart – guitar • Roddy Woomble – vocals Additional musicians • Inara George – additional vocals (tracks 1, 3, 6 and 12) • Greg Leisz – pedal steel guitar (tracks 5 and 11) • Paul Maroon – piano (track 5) Production and design • Tony Hoffer – producer • Todd Burke – engineer • Dave Eringa – producer (track 4) • Guy Massey – engineer (track 4) • Michael Brauer – mixing • Chris Athens – mastering • The Head of State – artwork • Roddy Woomble – photography • Jennifer Juniper Strattford – photography ==Charts and certifications==

Weekly charts Certifications ==References==