Snipe Likes: Idaho

By John Rogers 8:17 PM

Everyone has bands they think should be much bigger. One of mine is Jeff Martin’s Idaho, who’ve never yet scaled the same heights of recognition and acclaim as slowcore contemporaries Red House Painters and Low, while being every bit as brilliant. 1995’s “This Way Out” is a thing of beauty – textured, distorted guitars and mumbled poetry create a downbeat sense of wonder. The production couldn’t be better, and songs like “Fuel” shift gear seamlessly from grungey rock-outs to swooning slide guitar breakdowns. This album sounds as perfect now as when I first heard it fifteen years ago, and it’s the perfect jumping off point into the rich, autumnal back catalogue of Idaho; with a new record promised in 2010, maybe there’s time for the world to catch on yet.