Idles – Joy As An Act Of Resistance

I have a signed copy made in CZ but couldn't find it here. Guess someone sold theirs. Sounds really good!

Has inner groove distortion on my copy but otherwise it doesn’t hurt the pressing all that much.

Best rock album since OK Computer. No cap. It’s just the levels of depth to it.

Since this one is made in Canada, it is most likely pressed by Precision Record Pressings although it does not have the typical stamp, so not sure. Mine is pretty marked up and surface noisy. Would have liked to have the Optimal Media pressing or even the GZ Media one.

Sounds good and looks awesome: this is a small art piece

Who cut this? It sounds absolutely awful compared to the BG cut.

I don't know how, but I found this copy sealed in perfect conditions for only $30. It's perfect. This must be a Christmas miracle.

This deluxe version is now being repressed, check Idles merch store for more info

Still available to buy from the Rough Trade site for £24.99

The IDLES are a great addition to MUSIC. Strong counterpoint to our culture. A living force within ART.

Is there no limit to the limited editions? Another one coming up for JAAAOR. . . “Rough Trade Exclusive on berry coloured vinyl. Limited to 1000 copies. Released 14/07/2023.” I've got this version dressed up with gold glitter. I like glitter, but to be honest, it took me a while to like this cover and accompanying prints. Now I understand the IDLES, their message and their humour, I have come to appreciate the album artwork.

The Idles are a lovely group; fun, well-meaning lyrics, Joe Talbot is a strong vocalist, interesting in interviews. As a band they ALL play great LIVE. And it’s nice to see them getting on with each other. Ahhhhhhhhhhh, cuddly, furry lads excitedly expressing their angers against, racism, toxic masculinity, prejudices etc. It all comes from the heart. What more could you want?

The way they embrace their masculinity in its full potential is a strong, honest message to anyone with or without questions. They are not going to be told what to do, will express their freedom as rightfully theirs. I deliberately use the word strong a lot in this piece. Masculinity is often viewed in of strength, unfortunately we don’t always properly question what true strength means. For instance, does strength mean imposing fears on others, or does it mean to be unafraid of your self?

In that light, I say the above regarding limited editions with a similar and gentle irony – it’s nice each edition has a special attention given to it. It also fits in with their distinctive ART aesthetic; a weird one to put into words, but you can consistently see it, it’s brash, plays with the ‘ordinary’ and raises it to be an art for our times, relevant, hopefully transcendent.

The images are often simple photos, taken in documentary style. The type is often bold, brash and ‘plain’. Image and type, “telling it as it is”, with humour. That said, running through this straight-forward approach there is a lot of care, some choices which elevate the visual side of the production, adding kitsch elements like gold sparkle or colouring the vinyl, successfully raising ‘ordinary’ visuals to be oddly attractive (curious) and PROVOCATIVE. In keeping with this, the unlimited limited editions is great.

And labels. We all need labels in order to identify things. (Are they straight edge?) Apparently Joe doesn’t like being called a punk - "For the last time, we're not a fucking punk band." (He makes me giggle. And you know he’s going to say it again.) No, not punk. But isn’t post-punk even worse? PP means way too many things, similarly post-modern. And that is what the IDLES are, post modern: showing a good self-awareness creating their ART in a self-referential way, to retrospectively call question to what modern actually is. What is happening now.

Long live IDLES.