Review: Scottish band Idlewild return with refreshing album

Idlewild, "Interview Music" (Empty Words)

Scottish rock band Idlewild already have one comeback album in their catalog — 2015's "Everything Ever Written" — but four years on, their sparkling "Interview Music" sounds like an even more complete return.

Once hailed for an "unsafe at any speed" enthusiasm, it wasn't long before Idlewild expanded their palette and "Interview Music," their eighth album, adds more tones and hues — some vivid, others pastel.

First single "Dream Variations" has one foot in each world, with glowing lead and background vocals offset by a loud, linear guitar. Two-thirds of the way in, the song breaks down into a psychedelic kaleidoscope, as Roddy Woomble sings his lyrics about dreams as if he's in one. The female vocals on "There's a Place for Everything" are an oasis, while the title track's reverberating piano and instrumental section are out of this world.

"Same Things Twice" reprises the band's galloping style and another dream-like transition blends it into "I Almost Didn't Notice," which is China Crisis-like smooth. Aztec Camera's elegance comes to mind with "You Wear It Secondhand," a tune about nostalgia with a bitter taste, while a horn section, Woomble's exasperation and stellar backing — especially Rod Jones' out-there guitar playing and Colin Newton's drumming — define "Mount Analogue."

The record concludes with "Lake Martinez," as a piano arpeggio, space sounds and musings on "the loneliness of the people all around you" put the song on its own island. It's practically disconnected from the rest of the record, but comfortably so.

There are plenty of sounds and moods to absorb on "Interview Music" and it makes for a refreshing chapter in the Idlewild saga.

Comedian Amy Schumer says she and her husband, chef Chris Fischer, have decided to end their marriage.

Schumer, an actress, author and writer, announced the planned split in a social media post on Friday.

“Blah blah blah Chris and I have made the difficult decision to end our marriage after 7 years,” Schumer wrote. “We love each other very much and will continue to focus on raising our son. We would appreciate people respecting our privacy at this time.”

“Amicable and all love and respect! Family forever.”

Schumer and Fischer were married in February 2018 in Malibu, California. Their son was born in May 2019.

The two starred together in the Food Network show “Amy Schumer Learns to Cook” and the HBO mini-series “Expecting Amy” that documented her difficult pregnancy.

Schumer has also said her Hulu dramedy “Life & Beth” is semi-autobiographical and inspired by her marriage with Fischer.

Schumer was essentially launched as a movie star in the 2015 Judd Apatow-directed “Trainwreck.” She has showcased her stand-up comedy prowess on tour and in streaming TV specials.

Earlier this year, she acted in and co-wrote “Kinda Pregnant,” in which she portrayed a baby-mad single woman who fakes a baby bump.

She has been an advocate for awareness of endometriosis, which caused her to need her uterus and appendix removed in 2021.

Fischer won a 2016 James Beard Foundation book award for American cooking for “The Beetlebung Farm Cookbook: A Year of Cooking on Martha’s Vineyard.”

FILE - Amy Schumer and husband Chris Fischer attend the premiere of Netflix's "Kinda Pregnant" at The Plaza Hotel in New York, Feb. 3, 2025. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP File)