The Birthday Suit – A Hollow Hole of Riches

As far as fan gestures go, trying to force a band reunion by boycotting the members’ other musical outlets is neither the most gracious nor thoughtful. Hence when a campaign to that end appeared online last year, directed at the projects supposedly distracting Idlewild from following up Post Electric Blues, it seemed only to strengthen guitarist Rod Jones’ commitment to post­-Post gig The Birthday Suit.

While Idlewild have since confirmed they’re working on new material after all, A Hollow Hole of Riches stridently affirms that The Birthday Suit weren’t forced out to pasture in the process. On the contrary, Jones’ third album under the moniker finds him at his most confident and persuasive, with rousing opener A Bigger World the first of several aspirant anthems. Not everything that follows is of equally high calibre, but as a whole it brims with a drive and passion that’s easy to buy into. [Chris Buckle]