Flight of Ideas

On Wireless World, Warm Digits Andrew Hodson and Steve Jefferis took inspiration from the pros and cons of progress and technology; on Flight of Ideas, they explore the ramifications of outdated ideas and mental disorders. The title comes from a psychological term describing a state of overloaded thought, and while its a concept thats all too relevant to when the album was released, its rooted in decades of psychology. The View from Nowhere, which features the Delgados Emma Pollock, turns the way psychoanalysts try to take a completely objective view of their patients into a grander statement on distance and ambivalence in any kind of relationship. On the paranoid synth-punk of Feel the Panic, the Lovely Eggs challenge the definition of sanity itself in an homage to the 70s experiment On Being Sane in Insane Places. As on Wireless World, Hodson and Jefferis assemble an inspired team of collaborators to give voice to Flight of Ideas songs. This time, however, the blend of vocals and instrumentation feels more balanced. The duos longtime friend Paul Smith of Maximo Park appears on Fools Tomorrow, his mood shifting from questioning to idealistic as deftly as the music behind him changes from bleepy techno to a shoegaze blur. Its notable that many of Warm Digits collaborators on the album are women, a point that becomes the focus of the churning dance-punk of Shake the Wheels Off. A tribute to the female engineers who helped address the problem of women being more likely to suffer injuries in car crashes, its a call to arms that lets the Orielles build on the subversive pop of their second album, Disco Volador. Conversely, This Is the Kits Rozi Plain appears on the gentlest and perhaps most relatable track, Everyone Nervous, which recalls the delicate fizz of Broadcasts Tender Buttons. As strong as many of Flight of Ideas songs with vocals are, the instrumentals are a welcome reminder of just how eloquent Hodson and Jefferis are on their own. On Frames and Cages, their juxtaposition of dense, ominous beats with airier passages provides an apt musical metaphor for how an idea can imprison or enlighten someone based on their perspective. Similarly, the gliding motorik of Im OK, Youre OK and the dazzling intricacy of Replication may leave longtime fans wanting more. Nevertheless, Warm Digits desire to expand their horizons is admirable, and Flight of Ideas shows that an album about received wisdom and mental turmoil can be surprisingly forward-thinking and fun. ~ Heather Phares