The 50 best albums of 2018, No 6 - Idles – Joy as an Act of Resistance

The Guardian 0

Mixing rage and humour with real emotions, this is a sorely needed state-of-the-nation address of the kind that British bands no longer seem capable of writing

• Best albums of 2018
• Best culture of 2018

If 2018 was a year in which political events seemed as if they were coming to an increasingly perilous head, then here was the response: a sorely needed state-of-the-nation address of the kind it was assumed British guitar bands were no longer capable of writing. Brexit, immigration, rape culture, the boarding up of high street shops … listening to Joy As An Act of Resistance often feels like purging yourself of the year’s toxicity in one pent-up blizzard of drums and guitar.

Addressing politics in pop is supposed to be a tricky balancing act, yet Idles frontman Joe Talbot charges across the tightrope in heavy boots, screaming in the face of the farce unfolding around him. There is untrammelled aggression in his voice, a directness that leaves spittle on your cheeks, but it is humour, not anger, that he uses as his most devastating weapon.

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